Sheffield & Sevenoaks – 8th & 9th June

On Monday 8th June, while having my tea and toast I tried to work out how much I had spent in the first week of this month. Just in the UK from my bank account I had spent £70, Captain Caveman had paid for stuff whenever I was with him, which I didn’t have receipts for, plus I had spent £100 in cash. I was supposed to be on a budget of £25 per day, just for me. I’d hope this week wouldn’t have been as expensive but it had been. I needed to keep a bit of a lid on it this next week because I was off to Spain with the girls in 4 day’s time and that would probably exceed the weekly budget.
Today, I got paid and unfortunately it wasn’t as much as I had planned for because how we got paid had changed. I was a little disappointed about the situation, despite a bit of notice, because I was lined up to be having my best pay day this year in July, which was Captain Caveman’s birthday month and we had loads planned that I had earmarked my cash for. It seemed that as soon as I had got straight and was starting to have saved enough for an emergency fund, there would be something crop up again to knock me back. After the summer holidays I promised I needed to rectify the situation. I had lots of ideas and some projects already started that I needed to get on with but there just didn’t seem to be enough hours in a day.
After work, Captain Caveman and I were off to stay with our friends near Sevenoaks and I was super excited to be seeing Claire and her family again, before our long weekend on the Costa Del Sol.
Pauline, my petite pink under seat case, was all set for her 2nd destination of her 3 week trip but this time she had been repacked with all my new clothes from Uniqlo – I just hoped it would be a bit warmer down south!
We arrived fairly late to a warm welcome from our hosts and my first drink was of course a nice pint of tap water – also a good one in the village of Otford!
Claire, Mark, Captain Caveman and I had a couple of welcome drinks and caught up on who was doing what and when during our stay. It was so good to see everyone again and I was looking forward to the next few days.

Gratitude List
1. Managing to personally spend within the allocated budget
2. Getting a full day’s work done
3. Seeing Claire and her family again.

It was a quiet day with minimum photos on Tuesday 9th June as I was busy getting stuff done before my next destination at the weekend. Everyone was out of the house when I got up at Claire’s so I had a cup of tea and some dog snogs from Reggie! He’s very affectionate and still a youngster so he needed belly rubs and attention. He also needed to make sure I knew where the snacks were kept – I did!
Everyone was working today and it was cold and rainy outside. We all came together for a family dinner, prepared by our hosts, in the evening. The weather wasn’t good enough for a BBQ outside so there was improvisation and we had it indoors. It was so lovely to be around the big table with everyone and such great food. We started before Captain Caveman because he had a late one but he soon caught up with us all.

Gratitude List

1. Reg, the dog
2. Getting through a good chunk of the to do list
3. Spending time with Claire and her family.

Sheffield – 7th June

Sunday 7th June was another day off for Captain Caveman and we were meant to be heading south before my trip to Spain. We decided to have a day to ourselves and get more exercise. My legs were still aching from yesterday but by 10am I was in the warmest clothes I had clean (cycling shorts, a hoodie and a t-shirt) and on a walk with Captain Caveman. I’d had Yorkshire tea and toast for breakfast and Captain Caveman wanted to take me to a nice little cafe he had found while doing the 5 Weirs Walk. It was a pleasant walk until I realised it was quite lengthy and we passed nowhere with any facilities. Obviously, I was super desperate for a pee and had to nip in to a grave yard, which I don’t like doing – it’s just not respectful.

When we finally got to the cafe, it was closed for a private function even though Captain Caveman had checked on their Facebook page that it was open. Rag N Bone was meant to be open until 4pm on a Sunday and I could see how Captain Caveman was disappointed that we couldn’t go in. We decided to walk to Meadowhall, which was extremely busy, and we got something to eat from Marks and Spencer. Captain Caveman got little sausages and samosas, I got my favourite super nutty salad. We shared his while stood at the tram stop.

We got the tram back home for a rest and to eat my salad. We were meant to be travelling south today but decided to delay to tomorrow. I did a little bit of work because a new Mekong River Cruise went on sale with Riviera and it was ideal for 2027 and 2028 bookings. I also had a good look at some of the new Wendy Wu tours in South East Asia, ideal for first time travellers to that part of the world, or solo travellers who wanted to be part of a small group.

We had a quick walk to the Gardeners Rest pub for a pre dinner drink then went home for Captain Caveman to prepare us a feast! We started with a cheese selection and crackers then a steak with vegetables. It had been a really lovely day spent with Captain Caveman and we were both looking forward to our trip tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. The 5 Weirs Walk with Captain Caveman
2. Good food
3. Spending our first day together in 5 days, just us!

Sheffield – 6th June

It was another busy day for Captain Caveman and I on Saturday 6th June. Although I had changed my flight to come over a week earlier to see Captain Caveman, it appeared that I had managed to treat his days off as an opportunity to drag him along to catch ups with my friends – I don’t think he minded as we got to have lots of laughter along the way! I was already loving being back in Sheffield and I was so chuffed that Captain Caveman had moved in to Kelham Island, where I almost bought a flat about 20 years ago.
Today’s starting event was to the hovercraft racing at Rother Valley where we had arranged to meet Natalie, Paul and their 2 kids as well as tentative arrangements with other friends who might come depending on the weather. It was pretty cold and rainy so a few of those friends decided not to bother. Despite having no coat, I did have a pair of pumps at Captain Caveman’s, he lent me a coat and off we went. A tram from Kelham Island to Halfway and then a bit of a walk through the houses to Rother Valley Country park. We actually thought we would arrive later but were early and it had stopped raining by the time Natalie and her family arrived. It was good to see everyone and even though we were warned the kids wouldn’t speak much, we had a lovely walk round both lakes with lots of chatter on pretty much any subject. We had a stop for a break and Captain Caveman had a toasted teacake – I was tempted but decided not to. It was just nice to have a walk and talk with some of my oldest friends. We managed to get back and say farewells without any more rain and we were quite warm from the walk by the time we managed to get to a bus stop.

Luckily for my tired feet, Amanda & Chris picked us up and we were off to our next meet up with friends. It just happened to be convenient to be in a pub as we all needed to eat lunch/dinner. It was at this point that Vanessa, who had cancelled because of the rain, had text to say she was there at the Hovercraft race, so we had missed each other.
Captain Caveman and I both had a pie and chips at the British Oak, which was excellent and I had lashings of Hendos on mine. Another lovely afternoon with 2 more of my favourite people and then it was time for Amanda to dash to a Barry White tribute night (as you do).
We were so busy chatting and stuffing our faces that I forgot to take photos – this was becoming a habit, this visit! On the bus I messaged Amanda and asked for a selfie of her and Chris and then took one of us at the train station. The intention was to merge them to make it a photo of the 4 of us but I never got round to it.

We walked from town to Kelham Island and that’s when it started to rain again. We had to take shelter in another pub where I was tempted in to a Cherry Chouffe beer but not the pickled eggs or pork pie.
We checked out the music events for the rest of this month and next at the Gardener’s Rest too, especially as I would be back in Sheffield for the Tramlines festival.

Back home, while Captain Caveman knocked up a pasta carbonara, I did a bit of work when I noticed a 7 day Danube River cruise, similar to the one I was going to be on in less than 2 weeks, but with a different company.
Dinner was lovely and we drank wine out of mugs as we still hadn’t bought any glasses. Tomorrow, Captain Caveman had suggested a more relaxed day for the 2 of us but I wasn’t convinced his version of ‘relaxed’, matched mine.

Gratitude List
1. A walk at Rother Valley Country Park with friends
2. Pub pies while chatting with more friends
3. Spending time with Captain Caveman.

Sheffield – 5th June

I didn’t get much work done on Friday 5th June because I was too busy getting on with other stuff before meeting up with more friends later on. My first mission of the day was to get the bus to the top of Ecclesall Road to Wax Inc. I used to go to the one in town but it had closed so I had to trek all the way across town. The bus took about 35 minutes from only a 5 minute walk away from Captain Caveman’s flat.
My waxing cost me another £30 plus the £8.50 deposit I had to pay when I booked and Ruby was very good. I arrived earlier than planned and she still fitted me in.
Next, I got a key cut for £7 at a shop further up the hill and called in to Sainsbury’s to get bread and some cream crackers for £2.85.
I decided to get the bus in to town because I needed to call in to Marks and Spencer to buy a bra. They had a sale on so this is what I bought there, prices in pounds:

M&S
1 orange bikini top £11.50
1 red bra £5.00
1 box of peppermint tea £2.70
Edamame beans £2.00
Total spent £18.80

I got the tram back to Kelham Island and didn’t realise until it was too late that today’s buses and trams had cost me £11.60 when a day saver would have been cheaper. It also wasted quite a bit of time being sat on public transport so I had no time to do any work other than to check my emails. Captain Caveman cooked us a breakfast for our lunch because time was cracking on and neither of us had eaten yet.
In the evening, Captain Caveman was off to Peak Cavern to see The Orb in concert, that wasn’t for me so I arranged to meet friends instead. Louisa was having trouble finding a bus to get to Kelham Island that didn’t take an hour so she ended up getting a taxi and we met in Salt. We had a couple of drinks in there before heading to 5 Tara for food where Kerrie was able to come and join us. The food was amazing and I had the butter chicken with rice and we shared a couple of different breads. The tap water came in a tin jug which was fantastic and cold – the people of Sheffield don’t know how lucky they are with their tap water!
After a delicious meal and lots to catch up on, we had a drink in The Ship. It had been done up since I was last there and seemed a decent place to drink in now. Kerrie had to get back for an early start tomorrow and Louisa was working really early tomorrow too so I said bye to them both and headed back to Salt where I met Luan and Paul for a couple more drinks. We made more plans for the summer to catch up with the rest of the gang. It was great to see so many friends while I was in Sheffield and there was still more to fit in this weekend. Captain Caveman got back from his gig around midnight and I was already asleep.

Gratitude List
1. Waxing
2. New bra and bikini top
3. Seeing Louisa, Kerrie, Luan and Paul.

Sheffield – 4th June

It was cold and raining in Sheffield on Thursday 4th June, looking like the heatwave had finished. I wandered round to Baker’s Yard to buy something for breakfast while Captain Caveman got ready for his morning meeting. I was starting to find that the more modern places in Sheffield didn’t readily accept cash and I’d brought almost £300 in 20 pound notes, back with me. At the cafe I ordered a croissant and a pain au chocolat and the guy serving let me pay with cash but didn’t have a till as such, more of a tub to keep some change in. I paid almost £8 in total which was probably double the price I would pay in Dalyan. When I got them home, they were very good and I had mine with a Yorkshire tea, obviously. Work was not so busy today but we did have the Resort Experts team meeting at 11am. For lunch Captain Caveman warmed up a baguette and sliced up a selection of cheeses which was lovely.
I managed to get an appointment for Friday for a bit of waxing, knowing I’d be putting my swimmers on in less than 10 days – on a girls holiday.
I was loving being able to drink the tap water and was getting down it like it was going out of fashion. After work, Captain Captain Caveman made another lovely meal of chicken and vegetables. We rushed a little because I had arranged to meet friends tonight. Louisa and Linda were meeting us in the Gardeners Rest, a local pub to Captain Caveman now and one of his favourites. I decided to try the non-alcoholic ginger beer which was nice, Captain Caveman had a pint of beer. It was good to see our friends and Louisa had bought me a travel adaptor plug for using in most countries. We had a brief catch up before walking to the nearby Cutlery Works to meet more friends. I’d chosen this place, even though I’d not been in for some years, based on the reviews saying it was good for kids and one of the moms was bringing the boys. Joining us there were Lucy, Caz, Nel and Liv, but Rach was under the weather and wasn’t up to it. It had been a while since our last catch up so it was great to see everyone again.
I wasn’t a fan of the Cutlery Works as the staff member had a face like a smacked arse and the place stunk of fried food. Lucy’s kids didn’t want to come in the end either, so I could have chosen better. It didn’t matter though as it was a school night so we only had until 9pm before the taxi and I forgot to take any photos. Louisa and Linda did order food and said it was tasty, I just had a couple of white wines. We all mentioned catching up again properly in August, which would be lovely and might have more time. We said our farewells and then Adam and I called in to the Alder, the nearest bar to Captain Caveman’s home, on the way back.

Gratitude List

1. Croissants for breakfast

2. Good food made by Captain Caveman

3. Meeting up with several friends at once.

Sheffield – 3rd June

I was very tired on Wednesday 3rd June which didn’t help with the mix up I had made in my diary. Of course, it was a normal working day for me, however, I had given the impression to friends & family that I was meeting them during the day. I think this was also made worse because I had set up an event on Facebook to say catch up this week that started this afternoon. I ended up apologising because I had to work but I did manage to open my parcel from Uniqlo. This was the order of clothes which Captain Caveman had bought for me, ready for my holidays. I decided to have a fashion show while I had my morning cup of Yorkshire tea and asked Captain Caveman to take a photo of each outfit I tried on so that I could see what it looked like – there were no mirrors in the house. Every item fitted so I was pleased about that and I’d specifically chosen items that were mostly practical and lightweight in readiness for travelling light. Captain Caveman was not thrilled at having to be photographer so the photos were definitely not flattering but I’m posting them so you can see my new clobber.

Captain Caveman was looking forward to us spending time together, until I told him we were meeting up with lots of friends, not realising how much I had tried to cram in, each evening. He had already been food shopping and had got a nice dinner planned for tonight, as well as a few other good meals this week. Today was weigh day and I was missing Fat Club, I did send a message on the group chat but I didn’t get weighed (no scales) and didn’t take my measurements either (not unpacked the tape measure yet).
After quite a bit of work and looking at my own flights, I finished before 5pm! Captain Caveman was still in meetings so he carried on while I got some fresh air.

Becca & Steve were walking their dog, Little Vera, in the Sheffield area so they came to meet me in the Kelham Island Tavern. After going through a kidney transplant fairly recently, it was good to catch up and see them both doing well, despite a slow recovery for Becca. Little Vera knew she had to be protective and did her job well, making sure she was top dog in the room. Captain Caveman joined us after he had finished his work for the day and Little Vera kept her eye on him too – she is so cute!
Back home, after a short pub visit and a walk to get my bearings, Captain Caveman cooked us a lovely chicken and vegetable dinner. I also discovered that Aldi do a version of Monster Munch called Monster Claws and I was hooked on their pickled onion flavour ones, after just one bag.

Gratitude List
1. New Uniqlo clothes from Captain Caveman, which all fitted!
2. Getting to see Becca, Steve and Little Vera for an impromptu catch up
3. Dinner with Captain Caveman at his new home in Sheffield.

Dalyan to Sheffield – 2nd June

It was time to hold on to your hats on Tuesday 2nd June as my 3 week holiday adventure was about to start. I had managed to pack Pauline, my petite pink under seat suitcase, with everything I needed to get me as far as sunny Sheffield. I was dressed for the heatwave, which everyone in the UK was talking about, and I wasn’t even taking a coat!
At 9.50am I was in the bank, making sure all was in order and that I had my holiday insurance. I didn’t have it earlier due to the bank holiday and today Murat, at the bank, sent me off to Delfin insurers to get it instead. I was going to be away for 3 weeks in the UK and Europe, including 5 days cruising down the Danube and I paid just 900 lira (£15) for my travel insurance.
Next, I bought 2 packs of pills for 884.48 lira (£14.74) and then popped to Migros for essentials. I spent 124.85 lira (£2.08) on cereal bars, 1 tub of quark and some haribo jellies. I bought a simit, cheese spread and a chocolate croissant at Parlak bakery for 190 lira (£3.17) and then went to say bye to my parents. On the way I decided to drop off Jamie and Drew’s key and when I arrived, I found Drew in his underpants looking tired. Norman was just about to have breakfast while Dennis the doorstop had soggy paws where Norman had done a little wee.

I said farewell to Ma & Pa then rushed home to shower ready for a midday pick up with Sonuç, who I’ve been using for airport transfers for a number of years. At the airport I said bye to Sonuç and headed through security as I was already checked in online.
I was early and, as I’m frugal, I don’t like to waste money in Dalaman airport. A good top tip for anyone flying from Dalaman airport who likes a drink; if you’re the type of person who begrudges wasting money on an airport Gin & Tonic in one of the most expensive airports, but have a couple of hours to kill, try this. Instead of paying more in the bar or a lounge, treat yourself to a cocktail tinny or mini bottle of wine (or 3) which are on sale just to the right as you leave the duty free area. Then find yourself a quiet spot, or put your noise cancelling headphones on and relax until boarding!

My flight left 45 minutes late but I did have access to a water dispenser near Gate 42 in the international departures.
The flight went fine, apart from it being delayed so I had to hurry to get my 18.17 train at Manchester airport. I was meant to arrive in to Sheffield at 19.34 with plans to meet Captain Caveman in the Wellington pub, near Kelham Island. I didn’t yet know where he had moved to so this made sense, however, I ended up on the slow train and arrived almost 1 hour late. I caught the tram from Sheffield station to Shalesmoor which cost £2.50. What I hadn’t known was that Captain Caveman had arranged for our friend, Luan, to also be there to meet me, which was a lovely surprise. Luan got the round in while Captain Caveman was preoccupied with a pub quiz that was halfway through. His friend was doing it and he was helping her while trying to pretend he wasn’t more interested in the quiz than my arrival. With it being a school night, Luan left first while I listened to the results of the quiz I hadn’t entered.
Captain Caveman showed me round his new home; a 2 bedroomed flat in Kelham Island near to a few bars and cafes. It was a great location and I knew it was going to be a fun week in Sheffield.

Gratitude List
1. Having time to say bye to a few people
2. Going to the UK and Europe for 3 weeks with Pauline, my petite pink suitcase.
3. Seeing Captain Caveman and Luan in the Wellington pub.

Dalyan – 19th March

On Thursday 19th March I was busy but doing the bit of my job I enjoy most – speaking to potential and existing customers. I made myself some fresh orange juice to have with my homemade lentil soup for a late lunch and it was very good. The oranges from Kate were just so juicy and tasted of sunshine.
I spoke to Captain Caveman who was flying to Vietnam tomorrow so was busy getting everything ready. He had also moved out of the house in Pontefract and was hoping to be living in Sheffield when he returned in April.
In the evening I decided a walk by the river was a good idea, despite it being dark already, and I called to the off licence for a bottle of wine. It wasn’t in the budget but I felt I needed it and it was just 300 lira (£5.08) for the one I liked. I called at the bank and took out some cash for the market this weekend.
Back home I had another chat with Captain Caveman as I was trying to plan when to visit him in the UK. I had seen a cheap flight for Easter but he said not to bother as he had volunteered to work all of it. We discussed May and June but he couldn’t commit to where he would be and nothing got agreed. Later I enjoyed a glass of wine while I caught up on my blogging.

Gratitude List
1. Fresh orange juice
2. Speaking to Captain Caveman
3. A lovely glass of red wine.

Dalyan – 6th & 7th March

On Friday 6th March I only broke off from my laptop for a cup of tea or a couple of chicken fajita wraps. I wanted to finish as much as possible so that I could take tomorrow morning off. I had planned to go to the market with Vanessa and then grab a drink in a cafe somewhere.
I didn’t take any photos, I didn’t leave the house, I didn’t spend any money and I didn’t drink any alcohol.
While sitting down to post my blog, though, I saw a post which made me cry. A friend who I met 26.5 years ago on our first day of our new job at Norwich Union (now Aviva) had a date for her surgery to remove a brain tumour. About 15 years ago she met her now husband and later moved to the States to be with him. I remember this as it was around the same time I met Captain Caveman and we would both end up moving abroad ‘for love’. I’m older than her and have probably abused my body and made worse lifestyle choices than she has, so there’s something that happened to put so much in to perspective today. I didn’t even need a Gratitude List today, as it would just read ‘everything’. Over the years we’d not kept in touch as much and I’d never met her American hubby. I messaged her and we had a conversation about how she was feeling, she was being brave and was understandably shitting herself. I shared her go fund me page on my Facebook and I got a message from another friend to ask if I’d been hacked. I imagine, like me she also thought it might be too unbelievable to be true. It wasn’t!
If you’re reading this and are able to donate towards Angela’s medical costs, it would be much appreciated. Here’s a link and her photo of what the tumor looks like.

https://gofund.me/61f18c7b3

I woke up early on Saturday 7th March and read some awful news on Facebook. A bloke I used to work with at Norwich Union (now Aviva) had died. He’d been one of the most entertaining people I’d known and was just so lovely. He was only about 10 years older than me so it was quite a shock. He had a huge family and was so well loved by everyone who knew him. I’d had the pleasure of being his manager for a few years and the customers just loved him too. I felt sad and searched out a photo from that period – we were a motley crew back then but had some great memories.

I was involved in a customer enquiry over the phone and I was meant to go to Vanessa’s on the way to the market but she ended up coming to mine. I checked the weekly budget and I had less than £9 left for this week, which was not impossible but unlikely, given that I needed to buy quite a bit today. We both needed the bank so that worked out better and I withdrew just 1,000 lira (£16.95) at the ATM. Before we even got to the market we noticed the new florists in town and went in for a nosey. It is brilliant and has plants, flowers and gifts – just what Dalyan needs.

Here’s what I bought at the market, prices in lira:
Potatoes 30
Mushrooms 47
Cabbage (half of) 25
Satsumas 110
Asparagus 120
Strawberries 200
Total spent 532 lira (£9.02)

We went halves on a cabbage as they are huge and we even asked the stall holder to cut it in half for us. If I had gone home then, I would have been on budget for the week, but I didn’t.
Vanessa had a soirée that she had been invited to tomorrow at Adam and Kath’s, so she wanted to buy some treats at the supermarket. Unfortunately, I couldn’t resist and I also got a few treats for myself:

Şevikoğlu Supermarket, now with a new name

Bread 15.00
Chocolate wafers 34.90
Biscuits 36.00
Mini meringues 66.90
Dark chocolate 67.00
Turkish black tea 184.90
Total spent 404. 70 lira (£6.86)

I had run out of conditioner and was down to the bottom of my shampoo so I had to get a bottle of each, luckily it was on offer and is my favourite.

Millennium shop

Olive oil 1 Shampoo & 1 Conditioner
Total spent 210 lira (£3.56)

Our bags were heavy so we decided to go to a lovely cafe next door to the computer shop. Here’s what I had:

Mornings in Mavi

2 large teas 100
1 Granola bowl 300
Total spent 400 lira (£6.78)

That granola bowl was so good and I really enjoyed it. Today I had spent a lot more than I should’ve, despite it being my 5th zero alcohol day this week. I had gone over my £50 weekly budget by £17.44. I decided to reduce the next 2 week’s budgets to £40 to compensate. It was going to be tight but it was doable if I put my mind to it and didn’t get tempted by alcohol or treats (easier said than done). Today was pay day from Resort Experts which would probably be in the bank on Monday, with it being a weekend. This was going straight into my emergency/holiday fund.
It was almost 3pm by the time I got home so I ended up working until gone 8pm.

Gratitude List
1. Out and about in the fresh air
2. My first Granola bowl in Dalyan
3. Seeing Vanessa.

Sheffield to Pontecarlo – 14th January

After a lovely night’s sleep, with no snoring from Captain Caveman, I woke up quite early on Wednesday 14th January. Ordinarily, I would have done my measurements and got weighed, but I didn’t today. I didn’t have my tape measure with me, although I’m sure I could have borrowed one from Ma. I also knew the scales at my parents’ were different and I could wait. I was due back in Dalyan in 4 days time and needed to get back on the wagon then. It was a very busy morning at work, where I crammed in helping customers who were thinking of, or who were already booked for, Vietnam. I spent time on 3 key areas; money exchange (as the laws were being tightened), destination advice and the weather in different months per region. I also checked my analytics on my various pages as I was trying to get over 500 followers so that I can earn money from Facebook. So far, my Jo Lo – Resort Experts had over 17,000 views in the last 28 days but only 358 followers – it was a constant grind to get this figure up as once you’ve invited a Facebook friend, you can’t re invite them. I had gained 10 new followers in a month so, at this rate, it would take me until June 2027 to reach that target! I checked my Jo Lo – The Author and joloyolo.com pages too, but they had less followers. The frustrating thing was that I had 1,800 followers on my Facebook page so if I could get even half of them to follow me it would be ideal – I would continue to keep trying! If you’re not following, please do! https://www.facebook.com/share/1KS5eFfqPm/

At lunch time I managed to get some fresh air when I joined a friend on her dog walk. We walked around Mosborough and, although a little slippy on the farm tracks, the weather wasn’t too bad at all and it was good to catch up.
In the afternoon, my parents and I went up to my sister’s to say farewell and take her birthday card and presents. The whole family were there so we managed to get to say bye and Gayle gave me a lift to the station, which was good. I said bye to my parents not knowing when I’d see them again, which is always tough, but hopefully it would be in the next 3-4 months in Dalyan. I got the 4.40pm train from Sheffield to Pontecarlo via Wakefield.
We were meant to be going to Aldi to get more stuff for me to take back to Dalyan but we didn’t bother, as Captain Caveman was driving back from Scotland. Instead, I made it just in time for fish and chips from the amazing Carleton Fisheries where the staff are friendly and their fish & chips are just so good.
That evening we sat upstairs in Captain Caveman’s office/den where he now has a giant bean bag and a futon. It was chilly so we had to whack up the heating while we shared some Green and Black’s chocolate, a Christmas gift from Captain Caveman’s work.

Gratitude List
1. A dog walk with a friend
2. Getting to see my parents, Gayle, Neil, Morgan, April, Harley and Sumo (the dog) one last time.
3. Fish & Chips in Pontecarlo.

Photo credit – Carleton Fisheries photos used (as it was dark when I went).

Pontecarlo to Sheffield – 13th January

I was at Pontefract Tanshelf train station in the dark on the morning of Tuesday 13th January, waiting for my train back to Sheffield. A return ticket was £12.30 which I had to collect at the station using a code for the machine on the opposite platform. Captain Caveman was driving up to Scotland for work and an interview tomorrow. I’d decided to spend my birthday money and arranged to meet Vanessa for a spot of shopping in Marks & Sparks, before going back to my parents for the evening.
I met Vanessa at 9.30am and we went straight to the M&S cafe for Yorkshire tea and bacon rolls. Vanessa treated me for a late birthday gift, which was lovely and we caught up on everything. She’d arrived limping and in need of paracetamol as she had a broken toe. I was surprised she had still turned up as she was in pain despite it being strapped up. I bought a really nice jumper for £20, using some of my birthday money and I picked up part of a present for my sister. I had decided that we would buy her Hotel Chocolat products but, after a chat with the shop assistant who said they couldn’t guarantee any of the chocolate was safe for coeliacs, we left empty handed. Next, we walked down to Primark where I picked up 2 thermal tops for £11 (using my birthday money). We popped in to Superdrug and Holland & Barrett where I stocked up on 4 boxes of Gin Gins for a bargain £10.20.
We decided to have a quick look in the Korean shop and then we both needed the toilet so we nipped in to see what was on at the cinema and go there. I was tempted by the pick n mix stalk but resisted. Our next stop was to get tea and cake at Massarella cafe on the ground floor of Atkinson’s. It was full of pensioners and I could see why, their jam and cream scones were excellent and the pots of tea ideal for at least 2 cups each. Oddly, each item was priced £3.50 whether it be a pot of tea or a sweet treat. This gave Vanessa time to rest before catching her bus and I went back to M&S to pick up some bits for tonight’s dinner. I’d offered to cook but Mom had said we could have burgers and chips if I didn’t want to spend money unnecessarily. I did fancy something a bit healthier for dinner but the M&S food section had looked like it had been hit by a plague of locusts. There was not much left and what they did have didn’t appeal so I just bought some breaded mushrooms and onion rings to go with the burgers, plus some ibuprofen and a plastic bag, spending a total of £9.20. I managed to get the 3.30pm bus, costing £2.60 for the 20 minute journey to Mosborough.
When I got to my parents’ it was getting late but I managed to log on and deal with some emails before food. The dinner was a bit too much and Dad couldn’t eat his, I soldiered on and Mom did ok but we had to leave room for birthday cake. It did make me laugh that Dad, who was complaining he couldn’t eat a burger, managed more than one small piece of chocolate cake – but it was amazing. By 9.30pm crisps were out and the salt and vinegar ones from Aldi were so good! Tomorrow was weigh day and I knew I had put on lots of weight because all my clothes were tight, especially around the waist!

Gratitude List

Meeting up with Vanessa for more birthday celebrations
So much food
Birthday cake with my parents.

Sheffield to Pontecarlo – 11th January

It turns out it wasn’t the ‘snow’ that ruined my birthday on Sunday 11th January, it was me. My hangover was immense and I could barely function to open my birthday cards and presents. My present from Captain Caveman had been to pay for Marrakech as well as all the Christmas and birthday Shenanigans. My parents and sister gave me money which I was grateful for and promised I would buy something I needed with it. I also got a travel toiletry kit and a birthday cake from my sister and the family, which I didn’t realise how lovely it was until much later. On Facebook I had so many messages to say Happy Birthday and I couldn’t reply as my phone was playing up and my head was banging!
Captain Caveman took himself back to bed, he was also in a state. We were meant to be getting the train to Pontecarlo around 3pm so Ma cooked us a lovely Sunday dinner. We had forgotten that the eggs had been eaten at breakfast so we sent Captain Caveman out to get some. When he returned he looked broken and had bumped in to Neil who was walking the dog to the Angel at Spinkhill to get the car. He reported back that their household were mainly in a state too. Captain Caveman was so bad that he didn’t even eat half of is Sunday dinner – and he left the crackling! After dinner, Captain Caveman went back to bed again and I still felt rough and resigned myself to staying in Mosborough another night.
Captain Caveman decided we would leave Mosborough and we got the bus in to town, it was dark, cold and trying to snow. There were certainly no train tins on our journey back and we even got a taxi from Ponte station to Captain Caveman’s house where we got in and went straight to bed.

Gratitude List
1. Birthday cards, money and gifts
2. A pork Sunday dinner with Yorkshire puds
3. A very low key birthday!

Sheffield – 10th January

Ma cooked us a full English breakfast on the morning of Saturday 10th January and it was so good – I do miss a good sausage! It was pretty cold in Sheffield. The snow that had come down recently was just icy now and all the roads were fine in Mosborough. I caught up on some Resort Experts admin in the morning and saw a post from Claire Clarke, the business book publisher. She had posted on Facebook a photo of her with a pile of books which included mine – which was nice.
In the afternoon Captain Caveman and I decided to chance an icy walk to the Co-op for some essentials. Here’s what we bought, prices in pounds;

Co-op Supermarket
Garlic 0.80
Onions 1.10
Potatoes 1.35
Stilton 1.40
Peppers 1.95
Feta Cheese 2.45
1 bottle Pinto Grigio 5.80
1 bottle Rioja 7.75
Total spent £22.60

I got a dodgy stomach while we were in the shop, so I headed to the Alma pub for a loo stop and a pint of water, while Captain Caveman did the shopping. He then met up with me at the pub and we had a couple of pints. A friend came to join us and we had a really good catch up, drinking probably a little too much cider for me. This meant we were running a little late to get ready for tonight’s celebrations.

All 8 of us (Ma, Pa, Gayle, Neil, Morgan, April, Captain Caveman and me) were booked in for a joint birthday celebration at the Angel in Spinkhill. Because the weather was unpredictable, Neil drove in 2 trips and we would get taxis back. The place was very nice and had quite a cosy dining area, next to the bar – which was very handy. I overdosed on cheese for my meal choices; Captain Caveman and I shared baked camembert for starter, we both had the duck for main and we shared a cheese board for afters! The food was very good and I managed at least a couple of glasses of red wine too. My sister had the gluten free choices, as she’s coeliac, and it was excellent – all served on back plates so that they weren’t mixed up with the white plates, containing gluten. I was impressed with what I had and our share of the bill was paid by Captain Caveman with it being for my birthday. Our waitress happened to be the daughter of an old school friend of Gayle’s and a neighbour from when we lived in Frecheville – she was so like her mother and had a lot of patience with our group.

There was a bit of a rush to get the taxis back as the restaurant closed at 9.30pm but we took our wine with us and decided we would call for a last drink at the Craftworks in Mosborough. It was hilarious and the drinks were flowing – it was certainly not a good idea for me to drink a pint of stout as my final drink, or get a selfie with the barman who had lovely hair! It was great to spend time with the family and our combined birthday celebrations were a winner, without snow ruining it. Back at Ma & Pa’s we ended up drinking more wine! I had a feeling my actual birthday, tomorrow, was not going to be hangover free and we had to get the train back to Pontecarlo!!

Gratitude List
1. An English breakfast cooked by Mom
2. Cheeky afternoon drinks in the pub with a friend who needed a beer
3. A fantastic family meal to celebrate our birthdays in bad weather.

Marrakech to Sheffield – 9th January

Our flight back to Manchester from Marrakech on Friday 9th January was at 4.05pm. Unfortunately, news from Manchester and Sheffield said that all trains had been cancelled which meant we would not be able to get from Manchester airport to Sheffield, as planned. It was a bit annoying and I got a little upset as we were going back to Sheffield to celebrate my sister’s 50th and my birthday, with my family. It had all been planned and booked in and I was disappointed the trains were cancelled due to snow, especially when the snow had not yet appeared.
My sister cheered me up by saying she was sure the celebrations would still go ahead, in fact she had booked 3 different places just in case. She also sent me a photo of page 25 of my planner, ‘The Handy Travel Planner’, as I had a panic that I’d not spotted and changed a mistake – it was fine though. Captain Caveman and I both had our last breakfast at the riad rooftop and I was definitely going to miss the mint tea in Marrakech.

We went back to the room and packed our hand luggage, before leaving our bags at reception. We paid our bill which included the bottles of water we had got and our city tax. The government takes a small payment for accommodation in Marrakech and it has to be paid directly to the hotel on check out. The amount depends on the type of accommodation but ours was £4 per night. We also decided to book the airport transfer which cost just over £18 and well worth the money if it meant Captain Caveman and I didn’t have to have a fall out over walking to the airport! Incidentally, he did suggest we had time to walk it as check out was 12 noon and we didn’t need to be at the airport until 2pm!
We decided to grab a quick treat for lunch at a local crepe stall. I was sure I’d end up with a bad stomach as, the stall lady wore gloves but touched money, the crepes and a man’s hand while wearing them. However, I was pleased to find they were very tasty for just over £2 for the both and all was well!

We grabbed our bags and walked to our pick up car with the hotel receptionist, who made sure we were safely in the vehicle – it was rather fancy, not a taxi. We got to the airport without incident and had quite a wait once through to the gate. I went for a wander and saw lots of choice of places to get food (no alcohol) and came back to give Captain Caveman the low down. He went next and came back with 2 baguettes and water from Paul’s. They weren’t overly pricey for an airport and were very good sandwiches.
We went to get in the queue to board, our plane was late and I got stopped for a full bag and body search. Captain Caveman made a fuss about being ushered in to queuing when he liked to be the last on the plane. I got peeved when he started arguing with the staff member as I was sure he was trying to get us in to trouble. It turned out, the airport staff wanted us out so they could update the data to say we had left the building. We then stood outside for ages, waiting for everyone to board.

The flight was good and I watched some Netflix instead of typing up my blog!
When we arrived at Manchester airport we rushed to get to Manchester Piccadilly. The machines let us buy tickets to Sheffield and mine cost me £27.80 – there had better be a train!!!

All the boards showed trains were cancelled but Captain Caveman found a train and we got on it, it was empty but it was going to Sheffield. In all the faffing we were quite stressed and I was really looking forward to seeing how deep the snow was. We had a train tin and chilled out, the train was cold and we did see a tiny sprinkling of snow at Edale. I didn’t moan too much about the train situation as I didn’t want Captain Caveman to have to send the train company a strongly worded email. They were definitely in the wrong to have cancelled the trains. There was no snow in Sheffield and we got a taxi to my parents, who were waiting up for us. We had wine and my mom cooked us a pizza as we were hungry. I was just so glad to have got to Mosborough as I’m not sure what we would’ve done if Captain Caveman hadn’t spotted that train.

Gratitude List
1. Having had an amazing holiday in Marrakech
2. Getting safely back to Mosborough
3. That rogue train!

Sheffield to Pontefract – 30th & 31st December

$Sheffield to Pontefract – 30th & 31st December$

After a good night’s sleep, Captain Caveman and I got up early to start work on Tuesday 30th December. It was that weird week between Christmas and New Year where everyone else I interacted with seemed not to know what day it was. We had a new system with Resort Experts which meant we could see tasks, enquiries, bookings and payment due dates all in the same place. The aim was to enter all our existing clients in to ‘The Zone’ to test that it worked. It was meant to be my last day at tomorrow so I got cracking.
At lunch time Captain Caveman treated the 4 of us to fish and chips from Tony’s Chip Shop. It cost £45 for 4 fish, too many chips, 1 mushy peas and a bottle of chip shop vinegar but what a treat it was. I really enjoyed it and was keen to have it while I was back in Mosborough. I’d heard that people were struggling to eat out more in the UK due to the increased prices but, in the week I’d been in England, I hadn’t seen any evidence of that yet. Everywhere I went, places seemed very busy – even in Tony’s I was 10th in the queue with lots of people buying cod or haddock (on a Tuesday)!
Back at the laptop, I checked us in for our forthcoming holiday to Morocco on Friday, and downloaded the Atol certificate. As I sell Jet2 Holidays, I’d decided to take advantage of the discount which Resort Experts gives me. Captain Caveman had booked our first package holiday and I hoped he’d enjoy it.
That evening, Ma & Pa excelled themselves by throwing and impromptu early new year celebration for us 4, plus Gayle, Neil and Morgan (April was working). Dad was on drinks duty and Mom had done a massive buffet which went down very well – as did the drinks. We decided to play party games where we had to guess ‘Who am I?’ but the post-it notes kept peeling off. It was hilarious and Dad was not impressed with this game.

Gratitude List
1. The Zone – a new CRM system for Resort Experts
2. Fish & Chips
3. A family party with lots of laughter.

Wednesday 31st December, or New Year’s Eve, was a very quiet one for us. Mom made us a breakfast and both Captain Caveman and I worked in the morning. I was meant to be taking my measurements and getting weighed but I decided not to bother depressing myself. I could tell I had already put weight on this week. I’d not eaten and drunk this much for quite a while.
We would have stayed at my parents longer but we needed to get back to Captain Caveman’s and pack for our holiday, plus my parents were off out. My sister had got excited and arranged for the family to start the new year celebrations with a pub crawl from 11.45am. Captain Caveman was baffled as he thought he’d misheard and that they were being picked up at 11.45pm, in time to see in new year. Gayle had arranged for them to go to a new(ish) place in Mosborough called Grandpa Joe’s Potting Shed. Before we left, Mom made sure we’d eaten more – including a mince pie and a cup of tea before we headed off to Captain Caveman’s house in Pontefract, or Pontecarlo as I like to call it. We each left some clothes for when we got back from Morocco as we were coming back for some more celebrations.
In Pontecarlo we popped the central heating on and got the house warm then worked for the rest of the day. Captain Caveman heated up the pasta ready meal for dinner and we both struggled to stay awake until midnight. I think we both nodded off but then woke up at 11.55pm, watched some fireworks from out of the bedroom window before going to bed. We had exciting, and somewhat unusual, plans for tomorrow which I had arranged for the both of us.
2025 had been a very tough year financially for me and we had also spent too much time apart. Next year we had plans to improve things significantly; I was determined to have more income and more trips away with either Captain Caveman and/or friends. I don’t really make New Year’s Resolutions but I was determined to be successful. How about you? Did you make any plans for 2026?

Gratitude List
1. Spending time with my family and Captain Caveman
2. Being back in Pontecarlo
3. Planning for 2026 to be a better year.