Marrakech – 7th January

We had just 2 more full days and nights left in Marrakech on Wednesday 7th January. Ordinarily, today would be weigh day but I didn’t have any scales. Although I had taken my tape measure away with me, I didn’t get it out to take the measurements – I would wait until I was back next week!
Neither of us had the breakfast at our riad this morning and decided to have a wander to a cafe which Captain Caveman had picked out. We sat upstairs at Mandalay Society and ordered a brunch sharing board, water, coffee and tea. It was one of those fancy places where the menu had their values written on it but I was more interested in 7 men and 2 ladders outside. It looked like repair works to a sign were being done so there was much chatter and watching while it got started.
Our food was good and we got more bread when we ate it all up but we spent £33 when we could have had the included breakfast back at the accommodation. It was a lovely change, though, and Captain Caveman preferred it over the sweet breakfasts.

Our sightseeing mission today took us to Bahia Palace which was fantastic. We walked round it together for the most part but, at one stage, Captain Caveman went ahead of me and I got lost. It reminded me of the time I got stuck in the maze at Longleat Safari Park and I got a bit panicky. I kept following the signs for the tour, which mapped the route, then followed the signs for the Exit but I don’t really know what happened as I just couldn’t find the exit door. I had no WiFi, I’d been in there a good while and I decided to retrace my steps by checking my phone camera and following the route of the photos I’d taken. It took me ages so I definitely got my money’s worth on the £8.33 ticket! When I finally got back to the door that I came in to the palace through, I was so relieved that I cried! Captain Caveman was outside on a bench and thought it amusing but did admit he found it a bit concerning when I didn’t appear after a while. He then pointed to the exit door, which was in the same room as the entrance door and explained why the tour and exit signs just kept going round! I felt a bit foolish but wiped my tears and Captain Caveman suggested we walked to Kabana for a glass of wine.

Back at one of our favourite roof top bars, we really pushed the boat out after my traumatic morning getting lost in a Bahia Palace. We had soda water, 3 red wines, 3 pints of lager with a portion of parmesan and truffle french fries for a whopping £59! But we really enjoyed the afternoon and the french fries were fantastic. We had a laugh at my terrible sense of direction and how I must’ve kept missing the exit door and going back round the palace again. I can definitely vouch for it being a very beautiful tourist attraction – and there’s evidently no time limit!

Along the same road as Kabana was a trendy shop (one with prices on things) so we went in for a look around. If we didn’t have just underseat hand luggage and liked to buy stuff, this would’ve been a great shopping opportunity. They had some fab clothes and shoes as well as some really lovely decorated plates and cups. Captain Caveman tried on a couple of jackets which really suited him.

For dinner, Captain Caveman had took the liberty of pre booking us a table at Cafe Arabe just before sunset. We really liked Café Arabe and not just because the wine is half the price of that in Kabana. It turned in to quite a boozy evening and we got chatting to Dan and Mary who were very entertaining. We spent £49 on 3 red wines, 3 rosé wines, 1 white wine, 1 pizza and 1 portion of briouette which was quite the bargain. Dan and Mary ordered the tagines which looked amazing but were massive portions.

On the way home, Captain Caveman had a crepe at the same stall that Hugo had eaten one from, earlier in the week. I had a little bit and it was delicious. I was quite squiffy when we got back to the riad and I was definitely ready for bed after a great penultimate day out.

Gratitude List
1. Bahia Palace
2. Great food
3. Having a boozy Wednesday.

Photo Credit – some photos by Captain Caveman

Barnes to Sheffield – 28th & 29th December

Captain Caveman was fit for nothing on Sunday 28th December as he was tired. I’d thought he might’ve been cooking a breakfast for everyone but he stayed laying on the bed until gone 11am. His parents were already up and about long before that and I’d logged on to my laptop to do a bit of work. Today was going to be another family day as Captain Caveman’s brother, sister-in-law and 3 nephews were coming to stay for a few days. Originally we had planned to go to Sheffield on this day but had decided to stay to see The Sprouts (called that because they live in Brussels).
It was just before noon when Captain Caveman got in the kitchen to cook us a brunch. Mine was sausages, bacon and mushrooms on a pancake (using the self raising flour batter mixture from yesterday). It was very nice and tasty and of course not Slimming World friendly at all!!!
I worked for the rest of the afternoon, then at 4.30pm I encouraged Captain Caveman to come to the shop with me. We spent about £10 on some chocolates and a gift for a friend. It was so cold out and I was assuming the North tomorrow would be colder.
When we got back in the house I noticed that the table was set much like a Christmas Day – there were crackers! To my surprise, I was actually joining in a belated Christmas celebration as well as us all celebrating Anna’s birthday.
The Sprouts arrived and it was great to see them again, wine was poured and there was even gift exchanges. The hats, earmuffs and Turkish Delight were well received, Captain Caveman was pleased with his boozy gifts and I loved my fancy lip balms (much needed in this winter weather too)!
The dinner was delicious and I felt so grateful to be enjoying it with the family. The ‘icing on the cake’, though, was the home made (by Captain Caveman’s Ma) Christmas cake – the best thing I had all Christmas!!!

Gratitude List
1. An extra day in Barnes with Captain Caveman and his family
2. Laughing
3. Cake.

Monday 29th December was a working day for Captain Caveman and I, so we got up at stupid o’clock to get to Chesterfield before Captain Caveman’s first meeting at 9am. We had a McDonald’s breakfast – my first in years and, for the price, I won’t be in a rush to have another. My sausage (no egg) muffin tasted very salty and the hash brown oozed grease. My cup of tea was decent though. Captain Caveman left me editing some content while he went off to his meeting.
We reconvened, then drove to call in on a friend, who was in recovery from a major operation. I had got my flu jab in Turkey, had brought masks and was trying to minimise passing on any germs by prioritising seeing her before I did the rounds up North!
I was very surprised to see how well my friend and her hubby were doing considering their situation and I almost cried when I saw them. It was just so good to be able to visit and hear all about the very slow and tricky recovery period.
Since I’d last seen them, a new addition to the family had arrived in the form of the cutest little dog. Unfortunately, she was on high alert and in protective mode so we didn’t get any cuddles – maybe next time. She still managed to snaffle some treats from Captain Caveman though, she’s not daft!
We didn’t stay long on account of my friend needing rest and us having to get back to work once we reached our next ‘home’.
My parents had kindly offered to put us up for a couple of days. We both managed the work schedules very laissez-faire in the afternoon and decided to finish at 5pm. I got a photo from my sister who had been bought my new planner for Christmas and she was over the moon with it. She was in Scotland with the dog and was about to start filling it in.
Captain Caveman and I nipped to the shop as we hadn’t had chance to get any wine for dinner. Here’s what we bought with prices in pounds;

Co-op Supermarket
Radox shower gel 1.05
Pasta bolognese ready meal 3.80
2 curry paste packs 4.00
1 bottle of Pinot Grigio 7.65
1 bottle of Prosecco 9.00
Total spent £25.50

Captain Caveman, my parents and I decided a walk to the local pub, The Alma, a good idea for pints of beer or cider before dinner.
We just had a couple with it being a school night and then Mom cooked us a lovely dinner, which we had wine with! It was cold but didn’t seem any colder than London.

Gratitude List
1. Visiting friends in Chesterfield
2. A post Christmas catch up with Ma & Pa
3. More lovely food and drink in Mosborough.

Barnes – 26th & 27th December

One good thing about not celebrating a traditional Christmas Day was that Boxing Day, Friday 26th December, was not spent recovering from it.
We didn’t have the hotel breakfast in Barking as Captain Caveman wasn’t bothered and we thought we would get back to Barnes.
Instead, he took me to the pub hoping for a pub lunch. The Brown Dog was closed so we ended up in the Red Lion. Captain Caveman spent £45 on our lunch which consisted of 2 pints of beer, a beef and horseradish sandwich for Captain Caveman and a pint of tap water, a glass of white wine and a prawn and crayfish sandwich for me. It was lovely despite the very annoying family of 5 sat round a 2 person table next to us. We ended up moving to an adult only table across from the bar, which was a good move.
Back home we watched TV; Undercover Boss, Gordon’s Kitchen Nightmares and Grand Designs – I’d missed UK TV.
For dinner Captain Caveman prepared some sourdough, bought from Gail’s earlier for a small fortune, with a baked camembert and we finished off the port. It was a very nice, relaxing day and a chance for Captain Caveman to rest after his 12 hour shift yesterday.

Gratitude List
1. Pub grub
2. A relaxing boxing day
3. More cheese.

Captain Caveman’s parents were due back from Spain on Saturday 27th December so Captain Caveman had offered my culinary services to make a welcome back dinner that evening. I was pleased as it had been 5 days since I’d eaten anything I’d cooked myself – most unusual! We popped to the shops and I decided to have a look in the Sue Ryder charity shop. Even though I had new clothes for Christmas I still didn’t have more than 1 top and had been wearing Captain Caveman’s t-shirt yesterday. I also didn’t have anything that wasn’t casual (not that I was due to be going anywhere fancy). The charity shop always has some amazing items in there, mainly good brands which I can never afford. Today, Captain Caveman was there to treat me again and I found a lovely tunic dress for £12 – it was only a size 12 and I didn’t try it on in the shop but it did fit when I got back home.
Next, we popped to one of my favourite shops to get the food for later, here’s what we got with the prices in pounds;

Marks & Spencers
Chicken 7.15
Raspberries 3.90
Blueberries 3.63
Sage & onion stuffing 2.50
Orange Juice 2.50
Peppers 1.50
Carrots 1.25
Green beans 0.80
Parsnips 0.50
Total spent £23.71

We called at the Farmer’s Market on the way back but there were limited stalls out, with it being between Christmas and New Year. We did manage to pick up some sausages and black pudding for Captain Caveman to cook us a breakfast tomorrow. I made some Yorkshire pudding mixture but there was only self raising flour and it didn’t really work.
In the afternoon, we decided to take a walk to see if the Brown Dog was open today and it was. We sat by the Christmas tree with a pint each (mine was cider) for a total of £13.60.
Back home, Captain Caveman’s parents were back and it was lovely to see them. I cracked on with making the dinner and we had a drop of wine to go with the meal.
Afterwards we went upstairs to watch TV and chill out – I even got in to watching Traitors.

Gratitude List
1. A new dress
2. A pint in the Brown Dog
3. A lovely family meal.

London – 24th December

Wednesday 24th December, or Christmas Eve, started with me having a face on that I had no clothes to wear. Captain Caveman had forgotten to bring my bag down from Pontefract – it was a good job I’d managed to bring knickers and bras with me! So today’s exciting activities would include clothes shopping – which I don’t enjoy. Captain Caveman already had it all planned out in his head but I wasn’t as confident that I would be able to find clothes which either fitted or suited me.
First thing was to get weighed and take my measurements. It seemed a bit futile, knowing that I was going to put weight on while in the UK, but at least I’d know my starting weight. The scales in Barnes said I had lost 0.3kg (0.7lb) which was a good start. My measurements were really good;
Bust no change, Waist -8cm, Hips -2cm.
Thankfully, the stomach issue had gone and my swollen belly had gone back down. I was still 5cm over my waist target, though, even after losing 8cm in a week.
I nipped to the shop as I had forgotten to bring my toothbrush and contraceptive pills. It was so cold out but Barnes Pond was beautiful. I spent £1.75 on a toothbrush in Sainsbury’s and £21 on a 3 month pack of pills.
I’d had deliveries of my book but I decided I would open them later, I did open a free book that Claire Clarke had sent me instead. That would definitely come in handy on my next publication too. Captain Caveman made us bacon sandwiches with brown sauce for breakfast and then we headed off to Wandsworth.

Captain Caveman was convinced I’d be able to get totally kitted out in TK Maxx, a shop I usually avoid on account of the confusing way the clothes are laid out and the resemblance of a jumble sale. I was a bit miffed and convinced I wouldn’t find anything. After an hour of looking, moaning and trying on items I would never had ordinarily chosen, Captain Caveman had forked out more than a hundred quid to sort me out. Here’s what we got with the prices in pounds.

TK Maxx
Black trousers 7.99
Thermal footless tights 8.00
Yoga leggings (with pockets) 19.99
Black hooded top 24.99
Black Dockers 69.99
Total spent £130.96

I wasn’t going to allow Captain Caveman to spend £70 on boots but he convinced me. I loved the docker style with leopard print tongues. They were sturdy, stylish yet practical and even had laces and zip opening. They were a make called Cavalli which I wasn’t familiar with so Captain Caveman Googled them to find that they were originally £330. While I thought they were an expense we could do without, these boots would turn out to be one of the best things Captain Caveman could’ve spent money on this Christmas. I was very pleased with my emergency clothing ‘Christmas presents’, which we don’t normally buy, and the treats continued.

Captain Caveman took us for brunch at Megan’s in Wandsworth. It wasn’t busy and, although on the pricey side compared to what I’m used to, it was a really lovely treat.
Here’s what we had and what Captain Caveman paid for, in pounds.

Megan’s
Sweet potato fries 5.90
Pigs in blankets 8.50
1 Rose wine 175ml 8.50
1 Bloody Mary 9.90
Shakshuka 12.90
Service charge 5.71
Total spent £51.41

We walked to the nearest convenience M&S petrol station and bought some items for tomorrow’s lunch; 2 salads, samosas, sausage rolls, tomatoes & mozzarella cheese for a total of £13.88. We had a quick pint in The Alma as I needed the loo and we needed to get the train back to Barnes. It was 4pm when I started packing for our 2 night trip away. Captain Caveman had agreed to work a 12 hour shift on Christmas Day so I was going to join him in Barking. I opened a lovely Christmas card from a friend and it felt quite nostalgic – we’ve not done Christmas cards for years now.
It was 8pm before we checked in to the Ibis hotel in Barking. Captain Caveman was already in the bar with his work mates when I came down from the room, dressed in some of my new items. We had a drink and Captain Caveman introduced me to the lads; there were 9 of them in total, all working today, tonight or tomorrow on some railway engineering job. They all seemed really fun and friendly but I was surprised that none of them had brought their other halves, as Captain Caveman had said a couple of them might do. When I asked, they said their wives had not fancied spending Christmas Day in an Ibis hotel while their partner worked – just me then!?
Captain Caveman left the fellas to it and we went to the dining area to eat, he had pie and I was tempted but decided to have lasagne with chips and garlic bread. To say we were only in an Ibis, I was impressed with the food and the red wine was pretty good too – I had 2! It wasn’t a very late night as Captain Caveman needed to be up and out early tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. New clothes and boots from Captain Caveman
2. Brunch at Megan’s
3. A different but interesting Christmas Eve with Captain Caveman and his work colleagues.

Dalyan to London – 23rd December

Tuesday 23rd December was jam-packed as I was about to leave Dalyan for 26 days!!!! I was really looking forward to going back and we had so many different things planned! My flight was at 4.10pm to Gatwick so I had time to cram in just 4kg of my own stuff in to the 15kg hold luggage. This wasn’t an issue, though, as I had all my work stuff in my underseat bag and when I got to the UK, a bag of my stuff would be waiting for me. Captain Caveman had promised to bring my bag which had a few sets of clothes, pyjamas and a pair of boots!
With plenty of time before I left, I popped round to Jamie & Drew’s to say bye to Norman, with me being away for so long! He seemed in fine spirits and I promised him I’d be back to look after him in January.
Next, I went to Ela’s Kitchen for a breakfast with Karen and Andy who were on the same flight as me and were very kindly giving me a lift to the airport. We all had an English breakfast, which was a bit ironic, given where we were off to. It was delicious as always. Karen also ordered sandwiches to take with them but I decided I’d be ok without, after eating a breakfast. I spent 960 lira (£17.14) for my breakfast, a Yorkshire tea and my lift’s takeaway sandwich. Karen and I popped to the shop next door for some travel sweets and snacks – I got them as it was only 114.25 lira (£2.04) and they were giving me the lift which saved me the taxi fare.

At the airport it was a bit of a farce as I had to go back through security check twice when my boarding pass wouldn’t scan. This also meant I had to faff about with taking my laptop out on both occasions as well as shoes off! It was badly organised and no seating or repacking area. It would not have been ideal for anyone who struggled with this process.
Once at the gate, I bumped in to Dave, one of the regular boat trip blokes from Dalaman. We had a chat and a good laugh as he’s got a really good sense of humour. We took a photo to send to our mutual friends.
The plane left on time, I did a little blogging and watched some Netflix on my phone. When the drinks trolley came round I decided to have some water, a red wine and a cheese and crackers snack box for a total of 822.45 lira (£14.69). I was due to land at 5.40pm and had nodded off before that.

Once landed at Gatwick around 5.40pm, I retrieved my 15kg suitcase and said bye to Karen & Andy. I wrapped up in my hat, scarf and winter coat and headed to the train station. It wasn’t as cold as I expected but it was definitely chilly in England. I got the train to Barnes via Clapham Junction and Captain Caveman was there to meet me from the train. We then hurried to his parents’ house to drop off my luggage and then go back out.
I’d arranged to meet Stacey and Tracey, from Anex Tour Uk, in Hammersmith. Captain Caveman and I got the bus and arrived at The Swan pub first. Captain Caveman ordered himself a pint of ale and I had a pint of cider – he paid on card so no receipt but I don’t think there was much change from £20!
Stacey and Tracey arrived shortly after and we had a really good night, they are such a good laugh and Captain Caveman got on well with them too. After a few drinks we decided to order some food and I wolfed down the fantastic baked camembert with truffle fries like it was my death row meal – it was so good! I must’ve been quite tiddly when we said our farewells in Hammersmith train station as the group photo didn’t come out as I’d hoped at just before 11pm!!

Captain Caveman and I got back to Barnes by 11.35pm and I was knackered as my head thought it was Turkish time, 3 hours ahead. As I got in to bed, I saw a picture from a friend who had received her copy of The Handy Travel Planner and I was so pleased! She loves a holiday as much as I do so I knew it would be perfect for her to plan all of her adventures.

Gratitude List
1. A nice last morning in Dalyan
2. Seeing Captain Caveman again
3. Meeting up with 2 of the Anex ladies for pre Christmas celebrations.

Dalyan – 20th December

My weekend continued to be eventful and Saturday 20th December was another busy one. I had quotes to do for work, last minute Christmas markets were looking popular this year and luckily, even though I don’t particularly celebrate Christmas, I had been to a few of the European Christmas markets in the past.
It was cold, grey and wintery with rain forecast over the next couple of days in Dalyan. Nanny Kay had kindly given me a couple of black tops, one of which was a jumper and would come in handy for my trip to England. She had also been throwing out her plate collection so I had inherited lots of spare plates. I had to put the weekly market on hold a while because I had been invited for a tea and mince pie with Debbie & Mike. Debbie had also invited Ghislaine and had very kindly baked for us. I had 3 cups of tea while we chatted and caught up on what had been happening. I still needed to go to the market so Ghislaine offered to drop me on her way home.
I didn’t end up buying anything at the market as I started to feel unwell. I called in to the Şevikoğlu Supermarket and bought more Turkish Delight for Captain Caveman’s mom and my mom as they are both partial to it. They serve it fresh at the counter and I just spent the equivalent of a few pounds on 2 different flavours, to complement what I’d already bought yesterday in the fancy shop. On the way home, I walked past the white dogs and said hello to them, they were very pleased to see me and one got belly rubs.
My next friend meet up was with Penny & Phil (I had to pop home to pick up the Forerro Rocher first) and I was still feeling a little unwell. When I got to Ren Garden it was busy with other friends as well and we decided hot drinks and cake would be a good idea. I had a delicious brownie and a hot chocolate for 400 lira (£7.14) and we chatted to the waitress who is very nice.
I had to leave after that to go meet another friend at the Kaunos tea gardens where I had 2 large Turkish teas for 30 lira (54p). I spent most of our 2 hours there going back and forth to the toilet. It just shows that when I decide to break the Slimming World plan, my stomach does not react well to it. Back home I got messages from family and friends who had been on my mailing list to get ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ first. Their copies had arrived and they were delighted. I’d obviously not seen the actual book yet so I was really happy to get photos – they looked good! My first actual sales has started and I really hoped it would do well as I’d put a lot of thought in to how to help people have better holidays by planning.
I just had soup for dinner and went to bed early as I had another busy day coming up tomorrow!

Gratitude List
1. New tops and plates from Nanny Kay
2. Catching up with friends before I flew to England.
3. The first book sales of my new planner.

Dalyan & Ortaca – 19th December

Friday 19th December was a great day, in fact my last weekend in Dalyan this year was about to be rather eventful. I made a decision to take some time back to spend it with friends! After a walk to the bank to get cash out, I had a phone call with one of my UK friends. It was good to talk about general stuff as usual but this time it was a chance to arrange to meet up while I was in Sheffield.
My next excitement came in the form of a long awaited hairdresser appointment which Captain Caveman was treating me to. I’d arranged to go with Debbie (Darling) who I hadn’t seen for ages and we joked it was our work Christmas party. She met me at 1pm after having to rescue a cat out of her pool and we went to get the bus to Ortaca. We share the same hairdresser, Emrah, and we’d decided to make an afternoon of it. Luckily that we did, as Captain Caveman had asked if I could get Christmas gifts for his brother and his family of 5 while I was there.
Debbie (Darling) and I chatted so much and had a really fun shopping trip. We bought gifts for people and I managed to get woolly hats for all the Spillane family plus plenty of Turkish Delight.

At the hairdresser’s we had Emra to ourselves and we opened up the chilled prosecco (which we’d had in the fridge) while we waited for our dye to take. I loved it and we both ended up with a change of colour. It cost me a total of 2,500 lira (£44.64) and I felt so much better for having it done.
As I’d bought the fizz, Debbie paid for a taxi back to Dalyan and we popped in to Ren Garden for a quick wine to round off our wonderful afternoon.

I took my shopping home and picked up a coat as it had got chilly once it was going dark. I grabbed a bite to eat at home and then went back out. I met Nanny Kay in Ren Garden too and we had a nice little mulled wine and a good chat.
I’d really enjoyed switching off and relaxing as it’s not often I do, fully.

Gratitude List

Spending valuable time with friends
A trip out to Ortaca with Debbie (Darling)
Getting my hair done, drinking fizz and buying the Christmas Gifts for less than £120.

Dalyan – 18th December

I had to have a bit of a word with myself on Thursday 18th December. I was not getting enough rest, I wasn’t making and eating healthy meals and I wasn’t making time to see friends. So, I agreed to meet a friend at Ren Garden at 4.30pm so that no matter how my day went, I had to put down my laptop and go out. I had a friend in the UK who was having surgery today and I was thinking about how that would go, feeling sorry I wouldn’t be nearby to see them.
On going to open the fixed curtains it turned out one of them wasn’t fixed. I let the fixer know and I got told how to move the string to sort it out myself. It stil cost 1500 (£27), which I thought was amusing but what I was told to do, did work and they looked good.
I spent most of the day really trying to get my head around Canva and produce enough promo content for the next few days, ready for my new book launch day on Monday. It was hard, I didn’t like it, I wanted to quit but I kept going.
I made myself do a walk round the block and call at the bank for the curtain cash, before lunch. I was missing walking Norman and needed to stretch a bit. I called at the shop and bought the following, prices in lira:

BIM Supermarket
Wholemeal loaf 31.50
6 eggs 65.00
125g blueberries 85.00
Total spent 181.50 lira (£3.24)

I had a cheese sandwich for lunch and carried on with the promo designs. My eyes were tired and I was getting a bit tetchy with it, so at 3pm I went to the bank to buy my travel insurance for the UK and Morocco. It cost 1,001.67 lira (£17.89) for my 3 week trip, in 3 separate policies, which wasn’t bad. On the way back home I popped to the off licence and bought a couple of bottles of fizz for something I had arranged for tomorrow. It was 565 lira (£10) per bottle and was one I’d had before. Prosecco is really hard to get decent stuff in Dalyan.
At 4.15pm, as promised, I hurried over to Ren Garden with some of the chocolate for my friend. She had chosen the Forerro Rocher and I obliged, after all I was meant to be on a diet! When I arrived, she wasn’t there so I messaged her to see if she was on her way and I ordered a hot chocolate. They had no idea we had arranged to meet and apologised. I didn’t mind as it meant that I could get back to my Canva and I ended up eating some of the chocolate I was going to give her. It was almost midnight when I finished but it meant I was up to date with my marketing schedule and I could take some time off this weekend.

Gratitude List
1. Getting out and running errands
2. Being on track with my marketing schedule
3. Mastering Canva enough to get some marketing material done.

Link to my new planner here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0G7S5VX47/

Dalyan – 17th December

Just as I was starting to get a bit stressed on Wednesday 17th December, things started to take a turn for the better. I had less than a week before I flew back to the UK and I just had so much to do. I was still concerned about having less money than I had hoped for, so when friends and family were inviting me to do things in the UK with them, I knew I didn’t have the budget. I got my 2026 diary out and started to plan a bit better. I got weighed at home and took my measurements and of course it wasn’t going well. Being back at anywhere near my target weight by Christmas was not going to happen. I had put on 0.35kg (0.8lb) this week and still had to face Carol’s scales this afternoon.
My measurements were;
Bust +1cm
Waist +7cm
Hips +1cm
Yes, 7 centimetres on my waist – unusual and I think I’d eaten something that didn’t agree with me.
I also had the curtain man turn up to fix our curtains and he was the same guy who had fitted them years ago, before we lived there. I had a call from Jamie who had a Resort Experts related query that we worked on together so I didn’t check the curtain man’s work before he left.
I didn’t have time to eat any breakfast or lunch, because I then got a message from Amazon to say they had approved my updated internal pages for ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ and I was ecstatic!!!
This meant I could now start my marketing plan and all the self promoting that I needed to do on social media to get my book sold. Amazon do take quite a cut and, ideally, I needed to sell 3 per day but I wanted to aim for 1 copy per day for now. I’d planned badly and most people had probably done their Christmas shopping by now, which could have had an advantage for me. It also wasn’t just about me making loads of money on book sales (although that would be amazing), I knew the planner could really help people have better holidays. It was also designed to provide opportunities for me to book holidays for more people in 2026 and beyond. I used Canva and some templates from the course I had done with Claire Clarke to produce some promo posts. I’m not good with Canva and it took me a long time, in between holiday related queries and nipping to Fat Club. Carol’s scales were saying similar so I hadn’t been lucky there.
My next Zoom meeting was with Claire Clarke and the Create Publish Grow group – I was excited to report that my planner was finally ready.
At 6.15pm I nipped to the shop, here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Popcorn 13.50
Mentos 22.50
Peanuts 29.75
Crisps 47.90
Pizza toasties 109.80
Pizza 209.00
432.45 lira (£7.72)

I cooked a ready made pizza for dinner, which was probably not a good idea, really, given how massive my stomach had been. I then finished my first promo poster on Canva and it was almost midnight – I thought it looked good, but I would see how my followers (and you) viewed it.
I had a link at the ready for people to buy it once it went live (it is now): https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0G7S5VX47/

Gratitude List
1. My new planner ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ was ready and I could start to let people know it was coming soon.
2. Getting the Canva promo stuff done without giving up or crying
3. Managing to go outside and to the shop.

Dalyan – 11th & 12th December

I was up at 6am on Thursday 11th December, half expecting to come down to Norman having had an accident. He was fast asleep still and only woke up once I’d got comfy under the Christmas blanket on the sofa.
Outside, Norman was still not out of the woods so I made him some egg to mix in with his breakfast. The weather was fine and looked to be good all weekend. It was just 2 weeks until Christmas Day and only 12 days until I saw Captain Caveman again.
I worked all day from the dining room table, including a Resort Experts team meeting.
Norman let me know at lunch time that he needed to be sat in the chair nearest to me. He could see what was going on but then was snoring super loudly within minutes.
I didn’t eat much during the day as I was busy so, at 5.30pm, I downed tools for the dog walk before dinner. I warmed up a chicken dinner and saved Norman a little bit of chicken, which he loved. It had been another zero spend and no alcohol day so I was pleased with that.
I sat down on the sofa to watch something on Netflix but started to fall asleep. I managed about one episode of Drive to Survive, about Formula 1, before I drifted off.

Gratitude List
1. No accidents from Norman
2. Less than 12 days until I arrived in London
3. Chicken dinner.

By 7.15am on Friday 12th December, Norman and I had been out and we were having some sofa snuggles. Usually when Edna had been with us, she had taken the priority spot for morning strokes but now Norman quietly put himself against my leg and instantly fell asleep. After working in the morning, I decided to pop to the pharmacy to see if they had any Covid and Flu jabs. I hoped to visit people in the UK over Christmas who had compromised immune systems so I wanted to try to prevent spreading anything.
Interestingly, there were no Covid vaccines available but the flu jab was out of the packet and in the back of my left arm before I could say anything else. After, I asked the reason for the lack of Covid jabs and they said they no longer stock them. I asked if I could go to the nearest hospital to get one and they said not and that Turkey didn’t have them.
This was my first flu jab so I wasn’t sure what to expect, I was surprised at the price as I had no idea what they cost;

Balcı Pharmacy
Flu jab 568.99 lira (£10.16)

Next, I went to the bank to ask about insurance for my forthcoming trip to Morocco but by the time I got upstairs I felt faint. I learned that the bank couldn’t do travel insurance until next week, as it needed to be nearer the date of travel. I had a quick trip to the supermarket which resulted in me buying some new drinking glasses to have water in, prices in lira for what I bought;

Migros Supermarket
Onions 7.16
Chocolate bar 19.95
Biscuits 37.75
Chickpea rice 37.76
Marshmallow 39.95
Dark chocolate 49.95
Cereal bars 60.90
2 drinking glasses 84.94
Dates 89.95
Total 428.31 lira (£7.65)

I called at the bakery to get a simit but also ended up with a cheese börek (pastry) for a total of 45 lira (80p) I had to walk all the way back to Jamie’s without passing out as I had started to feel weak so ate the börek outside with Norman. Unexpectedly, Norman had a bit of an incident where he was looking at me eating, he fell backwards down 2 steps then toddled towards the pool, almost falling in!
A proof copy of my new book ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ was meant to be being delivered today to Captain Caveman so that he could proof read and check it for me, but it didn’t arrive.
I went for a walk with Norman after work and, as it was Friday, we went to the pub for a drink. I had a couple of rosé wines and soda at Ren Garden and Norman behaved really well. The total cost for 2 wines and 1 soda was 330 lira (£5.89) but I rounded it up to include a tip so spent 400 lira (£7.14) in total – not bad for a Friday treat.
Back home, I made a pasta dish for my dinner and we saw that Jamie had indeed made his way on to the Maldives flight – he was not going to have to slum it in Benidorm, after all. I let Norman know but he was more concerned as to if he was getting egg in his dinner or not. After dinner, I had loaded the dishwasher and put the tablet in, Norman was inquisitive and wanted to see what it was all about. I explained to him that dishwasher tablets are not snacks, despite Jamie storing them in the fridge!

Gratitude List
1. Being able to get a flu jab
2. Norman
3. Knowing a proof copy of my book was due to arrive in Pontefract, probably tomorrow.

Dalyan – 5th to 7th December

Friday 5th December was one of those stay at home days and keep out of the rain. I got a bit wet in the morning going to feed my friends cat and then I sat at my desk and watched the bad weather while I ploughed through my to do list. At 11am I had beans on toast and a Yorkshire tea for brunch. Not long after, my Turkish phone received a text to warn of heavy rains and flood risks across our province.
In the afternoon I helped out a fellow Travel Agent from another company who wanted some info about Dalyan. The rains came and didn’t stop for the rest of the day so I had to venture out in it to feed the, who didn’t show up.
I warmed up a Thai green curry for dinner with couscous and then found my wool socks and sheepskin slippers to warm my feet. They were cold after getting wet, walking through the water of our overflowing swimming pool. The mulled wine evening at Ren Garden even got postponed due to the weather so Jamie and I decided we would not be venturing out.

Gratitude List
1. Beans on toast
2. Thai Green curry
3. Warm feet.

The rain didn’t stop on Saturday 6th December so I got absolutely soaked on my last cat feeding mission. Even the white dogs did not come out or look up from their shelters this morning! I decided to call in to the Fataç shop to see if they had any wellies. I’d only got pumps which, although had a chunky sole, were totally inadequate for walking through the puddles. As luck would have it, the owner was there and let me try on a lovely pair of industrial wellies which he fitted with some super comfy spongy insoles. They did set me back 1700 lira (£30.36) which was not budgeted for but they made me feel like I would never have wet or uncomfortable feet again. Mr Fataç insisted I kept them on and gave me a plastic bag for my soggy sneakers. On my way home, I sploshed about like a child who’d been told not to go in puddles and it was amazing! I knew that my friend was on her way back from her trip, the cat was fed and looked after and I was looking forward to no animal caring for the next 2 days.
I messaged Captain Caveman to let him know I’d spent a load of money on wellies and he thought that was a bargain for dry comfy feet! I obviously didn’t venture to the weekly market and decided I could make do with what I had.
I made halloumi and roasted vegetable pasta for lunch which was fantastic. I spent the rest of my day avoiding rain and checking on our roof leaks – the bathroom needed a container to catch the drips from the leaking window.

Gratitude List
1. New wellies!!!
2. Puddle sploshing
3. Good food.

I tried my best to have a lay in on Sunday 7th December, however, my body clock must’ve got used to being awake between 6 & 7am as I was in the Wide Awake Club.
I even joined Jamie on a dog walk with Norman as they had felt cabined up and wanted to get out now that the rain had gone. I was keen to splash about in my new wellies so agreed to meet Jamie. As we were walking we decided that we would partake in the postponed mulled wine night at Ren Garden later. Jamie had a birthday lunch to do in the afternoon but said he would make it between 7 and 8pm. In the meantime, I spent my day faffing about with suitcases trying to find my clothes that needed to go to charity. It turned out I must’ve already donated them as I only had what was in one box and one wardrobe! I made a simple but tasty chicken and veg pasta for lunch and finally was able to get a couple of loads of washing out to dry.
I arrived at Ren Garden around 7pm and was chatting to some friends who were already there. By 9pm I decided I had already drunk sufficient mulled wine, which I really enjoyed, and that I would go to Migros for some shopping. I paid my 600 lira (£10.71) bill and said farwell to the people of Ren Garden. Jamie messaged to say he was still out at the birthday celebrations and was sorry to not make it after all. I was quite tipsy so I decided to get myself a ready made pizza for dinner. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Pasta 21.71
Milk 59.90
Dark chocolate 59.95
1 pepperoni pizza 179.95
Socks 388.95
Total spent 700.43 lira (£12.51)

I went home, cooked and ate the pizza and was glad of being in bed before midnight.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Wellies
3. Mulled wine.

Dalyan – 1st December

For Captain Caveman’s last day in Dalyan on Monday 1st December, I decided we should go on the Yellow Boat to Köyceğiz. I’d booked the 2 of us on at 400 lira (£7.27) each, leaving at 10.30am and returning by 5pm. I was mainly looking forward to buying some fruit and vegetables at the market as we hadn’t been to the Dalyan one.
My first job was to feed my friend’s cat, get cash out of the bank and then grab us a couple of croissants from the bakery for breakfast. It cost 180 lira (£3.21) for 2 and they were really good and fresh. I checked the stats for my JOLOYOLO.COM blog and was pleased to see I had 6% more views in November than October. The top 3 nationalities were listed as the UK, Turkey, then the USA. Unfortunately, Vietnam was down in 15th place – beaten easily by Australia, Thailand and the Netherlands!
It was quite chilly out but dry, so we were optimistic for the boat trip today. When we got on, there was just us, Brigette and her hubby, Jim, plus a Turkish lady who was the mother of a walking friend of Captain Caveman’s. Usually there are about 16 onboard so this felt like our own private trip!!
We sipped our hot drinks and nibbles on simit, as we sailed along the river and towards Köyceğiz Lake. The water and scenery was so beautiful and my phone camera didn’t even do it justice.

When we arrived it was around midday so Captain Caveman and I headed to the market. Here’s what we bought with prices in lira;

Potatoes, onions & garlic 45
Peppers & courgettes 45
Black Olives 50
2 pairs of Slippers 100
Total spent 240 lira (£4.29)

For lunch we decided to try Kebapçı Antepden 1999 where I had a lentil soup and Captain Caveman ordered a chicken wrap. The waiter also brought us some free starters, lots of bread and it was all very nice for 480 lira (£8.57). Our next stop was to call for a drink by the lake at one of our favourite places, Avantgart, where we spent 700 lira (£12.50) on a glass of red wine and a rakı.

Back on the boat we had some fruit and snacks then I had a wine and Captain Caveman had a beer. We all watched a bird eat a snake, which was a little grim, but interesting! It was a really good boat trip and we even tried dried persimmon with pecan nuts with the Turkish lady – they were delicious.

After dropping the shopping back in Dalyan, I went to feed my friend’s cat and we had sausage casserole for dinner again. This time Captain Caveman had the leftover lamb added to his. Later, we headed to Ozzy’s bar to meet my parents for a farewell drink. Here’s what we had with prices in lira;

2 Efes Malt 300
2 red wines 320
Total 620 lira with 60 lira discount
Total spent 560 lira (£10)

My parents and Captain Caveman were on the same flight back to Manchester tomorrow, as well as Julie & Gareth, so they were all going to the airport together. As I wouldn’t get to to say bye to Ma & Pa tomorrow, I said my goodbyes that night.

Gratitude List
1. A great day out in Köyceğiz on the Yellow Boat
2. Tasty food
3. Leaving drinks with my parents and Captain Caveman.

Dalyan – 27th November

As our anniversary is the Thursday before Christmas but we wouldn’t be in the same country, Captain Caveman had moved our anniversary forward to today, Thursday 27th November. When we woke up it was raining quite hard so I fed the cat later than usual. On the way back, I was delighted to see that someone had bought the 2 white dogs a kennel each and they were keeping dry. I called at the bakery and made it home before more rain. Unfortunately Captain Caveman’s plan to join the Riverbums, clearing the river of litter, had been cancelled this morning due to the rain. I had a Resort Experts team meeting at 2pm and then Captain Caveman and I decided to go out to celebrate our 14 years together. We walked as far as Luz, which does Latin food and cocktails, and we said hello to their very nice dog. Captain Caveman treated us to a cocktail and some nibbles. Here’s what we had with the prices in lira;

1 Argentina Tortilla 360
1 Cheese Fondue 420
1 Bloody Maria 530
1 Hibiscus Margarita 530
Total spent 1,840 lira (£33.45)

It’s not the cheapest place in town but the quality is worth it and it’s definitely not for the Dalyan Cheap Chasers who moan about the price of a beer. We really enjoyed it and I do love the hibiscus margarita there. Our next stop, after a bit of a stroll and a call to feed the cat again, was to the supermarket. Here’s what we bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Spring onions 32.95
Milk 36.90
6 eggs 72.95
Wholemeal bread 84.95
Halloumi cheese 96.50
Cherry juice 105.00
Fairy Liquid 149.95
Total spent 579.20 lira (£10.53)

Captain Caveman dropped the shopping back off home and we met back up for dinner at Ayaz where I had a chicken shish with a pomegranate juice and Captain Caveman had a lamb shish with ayran. The food was lovely and it came to just 800 lira (£14.55) in total. Back home we had a White Russian and watched a film on TV.

Gratitude List
1. Seeing the white dogs had new shelters
2. Lunch and cocktails at Luz
3. Dinner at Ayaz to celebrate 14 years with Captain Caveman.

Dalyan – 25th & 26th November

I decided not to bother taking the day off work on Tuesday 25th November as I correctly assumed Captain Caveman would be doing something without me. I fed the cat and had a stroll back via the bakery where I picked up some croissants for breakfast. I hadn’t thought about Fat Club weigh in tomorrow so I’d probably accidentally had a Sabotage Tuesday (again). We ate breakfast then Captain Caveman went to play Bridge. I logged on and did some work. When he got back I made us a cougette pasta for lunch. I carried on working while Captain Caveman lolled on the sofa with his phone until 5pm then he went to the grocers for veg and more eggs.
I fed the cat in the evening, then came back to make a chickpea and spinach curry which we didn’t eat until gone 9.30pm but it was rather tasty.

Gratitude List
1. Croissants for breakfast
2. Spending the evening with Captain Caveman
3. Great Slimming World friendly food.

Wednesday 26th November was a bit of an odd day really. I was feeding my friend’s cat before 7.15am, saw the sunrise and then went back to bed with a cup of tea as it was cold out. After breakfast of toast for me and homemade şakşuka for Captain Caveman I remembered to get weighed and measured. My home scales showed I had lost 0.8kg (1.8lb) this week, which was very surprising given that I had consumed far more syns than I should have! My measurements showed I’d put 1cm on my bust and hips but lost 3cm from my waist – impressive really! Captain Caveman and I decided to have a bit of a walk around and I introduced him to the white dogs, before he went off to the barbers and I went to Fat Club. Captain Caveman’s haircut and shave cost him 400 lira (£7.27) which he was happy with and they did a good job.
Disappointingly, but realistically, Carol’s scales said I had remained the same as last week and not lost any weight at all! I would need to try harder in December to get back to target before the end of the year. I had just under 5kg (11lb) to lose so it was not looking likely that I would reach target again this year.
At 6pm I had arranged to meet up with my parents, Jamie and Vanessa at Ren Garden for a drink. I was surprised to see Ma on the beer and Pa on the water but he’d got a bit of a cold and dodgy tum so was taking it easy after their Jiva Beach trip. While Ma took it steady with a few beers, Pa had a latte but he wasn’t feeling too great. I nipped off to feed the cat and she wanted some attention so I stayed for a little while to give her some strokes with her pâté.
When I returned, Vanessa and Matt had arrived after the pool afternoon with Mark, Kate and Sarah. We weirdly ended up playing games and taking over the front room of Ren Garden’s bar area – and we were loud! Here’s what ours and my parents’ bills came to that night.

Ren Garden – us
4 Red wines 520
5 Efes Malta 600
Total spent 1,120 lira (£20.36)

Ren Garden – Ma & Pa
2 waters 40
1 latte 130
3 Efes Malt 360
Total 530 lira (£9.64)

I’d obviously gone mad on the wine (again) on a Wednesday and was easily swayed when a suggestion to go for food came up. Dad and Captain Caveman decided to walk on ahead to Çağrı to go there but they turned back when they saw it had been open but was closing. We decided Pizza 48 would be a good place, despite it being outdoor seating. I don’t recall us being cold and we all had our own pizza and a drink. Captain Caveman ordered a meat pizza and an Efes Malt, I had a mushroom pizza with a red wine which came to 1,080 lira (£19.64). I was planning on taking some home but it was pretty good and I ate it all.

Gratitude List
1. Weighing less on my home scales
2. A night out at Ren Garden
3. Spending time with friends and family.

Dalyan – 22nd November

The day of Captain Caveman’s arrival was finally here on Saturday 22nd November – I was super excited and quite hungover!
Having consumed wine with dinner, 5 mulled wines and a further 250ml of red wine as a nightcap, I had totally overdone it with Jamie and Drew last night! It had been good to let my hair down but now, as I went to feed the cat at sunrise, I desperately wanted to be having a lay in, keeping warm under the duvet. I was back home by 8am, with no wandering round Dalyan unnecessarily this morning. I was going to go back to bed but instead I had a Yorkshire tea and a litre of water before deciding to move my office back upstairs in to the spare room. I moved the spare table first and it wasn’t that difficult, but my beloved red office chair was a little more cumbersome. I had to have a sit down when I got them in place but I was pleased as I was hoping to have a reduced work schedule this coming week so wouldn’t need our dining table as a desk. That morning, I finished my internal pages of ‘The Handy Travel Planner’, uploaded that and my book cover by Nicole at I Am Claire Clarke on to Amazon and hoped they would vet it and agree to publish it quickly! They said it could take up to 10 days, which was a bit long but there was nothing I could do and I just had to wait now! Overall, I was very pleased and excited with it but I was still annoyed with myself for not having got it done sooner so that Captain Caveman could bring me a copy to see!!
For lunch I had beans on toast and got a message from Captain Caveman who was getting the train to Manchester airport ready for his 13.45 flight. He was due to land at Dalaman at 21.00 so I still had all day to wait.
After doing some last minute work, I decided to pop out to the shops, help my Mom by getting her the stationer’s email address and feed the cat again. Here’s what I bought from the various shops with prices in lira;

Şarküteri
1 Chicken Tikka sauce 190 lira (£3.45)

I rarely buy the ready made sauces from the import shop as they are pricey but I decided I’d left it too late to make a curry for dinner.

Migros Supermarket
Mentos 20.95
Marshmallows 39.95
2 Nut Dido chocolate bars 60.00
3 tins of chopped tomatoes 149.85
1kg chicken breasts 172.09
Total spent 442.84 lira (£8.05)

I was so excited to get the tinned tomatoes, finally!

Yaman Büfe 2
2 Efes Malt beers 170
1 bottle of Red Rituel wine 288
Total spent 458.00 lira (£8.33)

After buying some booze to have with dinner, I went home to chill out, finish some blogging and await Captain Caveman’s arrival!

I managed to finish a few blog posts, check the coming week’s weather forecast, start my marketing plan for ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ and schedule a week’s worth of Resort Experts posts before I got a text to say Captain Caveman was on his way. Luckily, the curry was done and simmering away, the beers were cold and the apartment was nice and tidy. It was gone 10pm when he arrived, hand luggage only but with half of his bag full of treats for me! He’d got a transfer from Sonuç at Dalyan Transfers. By 11pm Captain Caveman had unpacked his wares which included;
2 bottles of Kahlua from Duty Free for £31
A 2026 Diary
A power bank
5 cheeses
2 butters
Steradent tablets
An Advent Calendar for Nanny Kay

I was so pleased that Captain Caveman had managed to bring so much in his hand luggage this time. We cracked open the beers and I dished up the chicken curry with steamed rice. It was almost midnight by the time we had finished eating, which was extremely late for me but Captain Caveman was 3 hours behind, on UK time. I set my alarm for in 6 hours time as I needed to make sure I was up for the cat feeding. Captain Caveman had also organised a Sunday Walk for tomorrow. There was so much to go on my Gratitude List today that I had trouble narrowing it down to just the 3!

Gratitude List
1. Finally submitting ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ to Amazon to be published
2. Captain Caveman arriving in Dalyan
3. Getting some treats from Captain Caveman.

joloyolo

The ramblings and observations of a fortysomething lady of leisure

Tag: shopping