Dalyan – 22nd January

On the morning of Monday 22nd January I totted up my budget spend for the first 3 weeks of the year. I’d set myself a tight £10 per day to live off, not including rent and utility bills. To my surprise, I’d done even better than anticipated and had managed to only spend the equivalent of £147.78, a massive £52.22 saving. I was really pleased with myself as it had not been easy and had took strict planning and a lot less going out/drinking. Because of this, I had allowed myself to go a bit mad today, as a treat.
Given that I had been working every Monday, I’d been missing out on the Köyceğiz weekly market that a lot of Dalyan Dwellers had been frequenting, with Hakkan and Nilüfer on the Yellow Boat. Köyceğiz, in my opinion, is a lot cheaper than Dalyan too and I’d missed the market on Saturday so it was good timing.
When I got out of bed I regretted drinking so much wine yesterday and Vanessa’s coat in the downstairs toilet reminded me I’d come home in a heavy downpour. I messaged Vanessa who was fine and not hungover at all, she called for me and we laughed about yesterday’s impromptu piss up.
Unfortunately, the usual Yellow Boat was being repaired so Hakkan took us on a boat that’s used to go to the beach, and it didn’t have a toilet. It was cold but I’d brought my big coat, hat and the one glove I had. There was also plenty of blankets and hot beverages on the boat.

When we reached Köyceğiz, Vanessa and I went off to the market, not realising everyone else went a different way.
Here’s what I spent on splashing out, with prices in lira;

1kg Tangerines 10
Cabbage 20
Bananas 25
Potatoes & carrots 40
Chestnuts 60
Melon 70
2 bags of olives 150
1kg dried fruit 300
Total spent 675 lira (£17.53)

My bag was so heavy and I was certainly missing Captain Caveman for carrying the rucksack. He wouldn’t have appreciated our willy-nilly approach to shopping, though – we didn’t even go row by row or do the heavy stuff first! I’d probably regret that when I was eating squished olives.
Feeling a bit hot and bothered, we walked back towards the boat and restaurants, bumping in to Hakkan and Nilüfer. They took our heavy bags to the boat for us, which was kind, and we decided on a walk along the water’s edge to find a spot for lunch. I love Avangart, even though it’s certainly not the cheapest place at 180 lira (£4.68) for a glass of wine. But, as Vanessa and I had drank our quota of wine last night, we were happy with a big bottle of water and an orange juice. I ordered the beef wrap and she had the healthier tuna salad, both meals were great and here’s what we paid in lira;

1 Big water 35
1 fresh orange juice 70
1 beef wrap with chips 225
1 tuna salad 245
Total bill 575.00

I thought my 300 lira (£7.79) lunch (including a tip) was lovely and I took half of the wrap away with me as it was so filling. Vanessa and I were also both conscious of there not being a toilet on the boat when we both suffer with reactions to food. We walked back towards the boat and were a bit early for the 2.30pm departure so decided to join the others at Tuana. We joined the table and I had just had a soda water which was a reasonable 20 lira (52p). The plan was to stop at the Sultaniye mud baths on the way back so the Aussies had gone to buy something to swim in.
I was looking forward to getting back on the boat, as usually Nilüfer does a nice spread of fresh fruit and some nuts for the journey. This time, they had provided 2 bottles of white wine, which was a nice gesture. Nilüfer is so lovely and was making sure everyone had wine or hot tea.
The boat trip usually arrives back in Dalyan for 4pm but we only arrived at the mud baths at 4.10pm, I didn’t have anything suitable to swim in and wasn’t bothered about going in.
Once back, everyone but me went to Tez bar, after Vanessa and I divided up my cabbage in to 3 for me, her and Kate. I had a relaxing evening at home, for dinner a chicken, chickpea and spinach curry with steamed rice.
It had been a lovely day off work, making a nice change on a Monday. I added up what the day had cost me and was pleased;

Market 650
Lunch at Avangart 300
Soda water at Tuana 20
Boat fare 200
Total spent 1,195 lira (£31.04)

Dalyan – 21st January

I woke up at 10.15am on Sunday 21st January, took a cup of tea back to bed and did a bit of blogging.
For lunch I made a chicken stir-fry with a spoonful of black bean sauce and it was lovely. The Aussies came round, bringing me some spare white paint and we moved the table. I walked as far as the main road with them and then popped to the shop for wine as I’d decided to call in on Vanessa, now that I was back home. I paid 259 lira (£6.74) for 2 bottles of Rituel white wine and walked the long way round. I passed my parents place and had a quick check to see it looked well. Brinny, Debbie (Darling)’s dog, said hello as I went past her house.
Vanessa and I had a good afternoon and even sat out in the sun on the balcony as we drank wine with soda and chatted.
When I looked at my phone about 7pm, I saw on Facebook that there had been a Sunday Walk today but I had not known there was one and missed it. From the photos it looked good and quite a few of my friends had gone, including Fat Club Carol! There was a note that Bev (a new lady in town) would take the walk next week so I was determined to go on that one. Vanessa had made a shepherd’s pie so we had some of that and more wine. When Matt got back from the pub, Vanessa and I were very merry, we had not even noticed the weather outside. I had to borrow a raincoat and an umbrella to walk home and Vanessa said I turned the wrong way out of the gate when I left, as I turned left but they expected me to go right. I knew a shortcut on to pomegranate lane but I probably shouldn’t have gone that way drunk and in the dark. The arık (small canal) was full of water and no one would have found me if I’d slipped and fell in it! I didn’t recall getting home, going to bed or setting an alarm for the trip I’d been looking forward to for tomorrow!

Dalyan – 20th January

I woke up early on Saturday 20th January and checked my messages; Jamie was coming home today and would be back around 4pm. He didn’t need me to be in when he got back, he had a key, so I said I’d leave about 2pm. I had a cup of tea and dog cuddles on the sofa, I just had a banana and tangerine for breakfast. I packed my bags, stripped the bed and had a general tidy up after feeding Norman and Edna. I made a quick trip back home with food stuff that needed putting in the fridge, then called at the shop. As I’d been leaving, Norman had been unsteady on his legs but wouldn’t settle in his bed. He was trying to walk around but fell over and I was worried he would hurt himself, so I hurried back. Here’s what I picked up at the shop, with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Jellies 10.50
Pot noodle 15.25
2 packs of tuna 139.50
1 pack of pistachios 74.50
Total spent 239.75 lira (£6.24)

When I got back, poor Norman had took a little tumble, only sideways on the floor, but he couldn’t stand himself back up. Edna was a little distressed and tried to tell me what had happened. I scooped Norman up and gave him a check over to make sure he wasn’t in any pain. He was very pleased to see me and I was glad I was gone for less than hour. I had the pot noodle and jellies for my lunch, given I had taken all my food back home already, but I didn’t want to leave Norman.
I had a video call with Captain Caveman who had checked in to the new Minh Quang hotel in Dong Hoi, a contender for somewhere for me to stay when I got to Vietnam.
I got a message from Greg to ask if I was back home yet as they wanted to come to get their table. We’d had it for a year when they were selling it last year and it hadn’t sold before they went back to Australia. I’d since been using it as a desk for work but Captain Caveman, unbeknown to me, had told the Aussies he didn’t want it and to come get it. I said I’d be home by 5pm for them to collect it, they were taking it to their villa so wanted me to come with them to see it.
I left Norman and Edna, putting their bed near the door so that Norman wouldn’t fall again, and rushed back to meet Amanda and Greg. I left my coat and some dirty washing as I couldn’t carry everything in one go and didn’t think I had time to make 2 trips. Back home I moved things from the table and moved the furniture around so that the table was near the door, ready to collect. All that with a minute to spare, it was Saturday and I’d not even had chance to go to the market today.
By 5.30pm I was still waiting so I messaged to find out where the Aussies had got to. They were downstairs in their apartment, doing some DIY, when they came up they decided that they didn’t want to take the table tonight, but at last I would be getting to see their new villa. Greg poured us all a gin and tonic with edible floaty beads in, Amanda had been baking biscuits (actually scones in England) which were healthy and tasted really good. The place looked amazing and it was much bigger than it looked from the outside with a really lovely feel to it. I didn’t stay too long ( 2 biscuits and 2 gins!) because I got a text from Jamie saying he needed me to go back to his, something I had to get tonight from his place which was edible. Bless him, he is such a good friend and it meant I could pick up my coat too as it was rather chilly! I said my goodbyes to Amanda and Greg, arranging for table moving tomorrow.
It was 9pm when I got in, I made overnight oats, ready for my breakfast and was determined to have a lay in tomorrow. That night, my bed felt like the comfiest place I’d ever been and I was glad to be home, for the next 13 nights anyway.

Dalyan – 18th & 19th January

I spent most of the day with Norman and Edna on Thursday 18th January, starting with selfies and breakfast, sofa snoozes and short walks. It was pretty cold but there was a glimmer of sunshine at one point, before it looked like it might rain. I remained eating healthily; tea and toast for breakfast, pumpkin soup with pasta for lunch and a chicken stir-fry with bulgur wheat for dinner. I managed to also batch cook some potato and broccoli soup for another time.

At 3.30pm I heard from Greg, who was back from a fishing trip with Sonuç, he sent me directions to their new villa, which I still hadn’t found the time to visit yet. I was on my way to pick up my laptop, ready for work tomorrow, and to grab some things from the supermarket which I had seen on offer. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Mung beans 14.17
Black eyed peas 16.12
Bulgur wheat 18.56
Chickpeas 22.42
700g chicken breasts 118.98
Total spent 190.25 lira (£4.97)

Şarküteri
Black bean sauce 85.00 (£2.22)

Carrying the shopping, my laptop, charger, and some stuff from home, I decided I would walk the route back to Jamie’s via The Aussies’ new villa. They had been wanting me to see it since their arrival on New Year’s Eve and I still hadn’t got round to it. The directions seemed easy but with no WiFi on my phone, I wouldn’t be able to check. I got to the location and I took some photos of where I was, I couldn’t see the villa but I watched a woman argue on the phone as it started to rain and go dark. I walked back to my temporary home, got wet and cold and was disappointed I couldn’t find it. When I checked my messages, Greg was in Lukka drinking tea and Amanda had fallen asleep so the villa viewing was postponed for another day.
I cooked and ate my stir-fry then watched a bit of TV with the dogs, while having a glass of white wine and a small piece of fruit cake.

I started my day on Friday 19th very early with tea and toast so that I could get on with my 8 hour working day. After breakfast, Norman wanted to go back to bobos with me but there was no time for that, instead he and Edna had sofa cuddles under a blanket while I worked.
Mid morning I let the pooches out on the garden and I had a banana and some water. At lunch I sat outside for a bit while my pumpkin soup with pasta warmed up.
I finished work at 6pm, emailed my boss with an update then walked and fed Norman and Edna.
I had the same meal as last night again for dinner; chicken stir-fry with bulgur wheat and chickpeas. Later, I resisted the urge to drink wine or go out, with it being the weekend, but I did have some chestnuts for a mini treat. Jamie was due home tomorrow so it was my last night with Norman and Edna – I’d not told them yet though as I didn’t want them to get too excited that Little Daddy was coming back.

Dalyan – 17th January

I got weighed at Jamie’s on Wednesday 17th January but I was quite a bit heavier than I expected and I hoped it wouldn’t be as much of a gain at Fat Club later. I did my measurements and found I’d put 1cm on my bust and waist, my hips had remained the same. I had tea and toast with 2 cheese triangles for breakfast then got peckish mid morning and ate a small wrap!
I was very jealous, and proud, of Norman when he did a massive poo right outside the back door, all on his own. I managed to catch him before he stepped or fell in to it which saved cleaning up what could have been a terrible mess. He was almost out of tuna so I popped to the shop to get some, along with some essentials. Here’s what I bought and the prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Milk 23.00
2 Quark 39.90
Tuna 69.75
Grated mozzarella cheese 69.90
Total spent 202.55 lira (£5.30)

At Fat Club I was so pleased to find that Jamie’s scales were wrong and I’d actually lost 0.4kg (0.9lb), definitely not to be sniffed at. Obviously, I then had to go and ruin my luck by eating 62 syns in a couple of hours of my new week! Ghislaine and I decided to nip to Ozzy’s bar for a cheeky drink after Fat Club. I’d already had my 1.5 litre of water at the group which hopefully meant I wouldn’t shovel food and drink down like it was going out of fashion. Vanessa, Matt and the Aussies also came to join us for a drink or two. I ended up having 3 white wines and tucking in to the free crisps which Ozzy always makes sure are topped up. It was amazing to see that he had now refurbished the bar, and made the whole entire inside area, no smoking. Ozzy had put up a sign and was telling people to smoke outside only. I was really liking that he’d took the advice on board and acted on it.
Back at Jamie’s for dog walking and feeding, Norman managed to eat from the bowl on the floor, instead of me holding it – another improvement to his health.
As it was treat day, I had a burger for dinner with cheese and sauce! I really enjoyed it but tomorrow I had to focus. I only had 2.4kg to lose to hit my target!

Dalyan – 12th to 14th January

I spent the morning of Friday 12th January chatting to friends over messenger and having a quiet morning.
For lunch I met Nanny Kay at Lukka bar, where I had a rather tasty Spaghetti Bolognese and she had a steak sandwich. The portions were large and I took half of mine home. It tasted really good and it was nice and warm in there.
For dinner I had a Slimming World Hunter’s Chicken with rice which I also enjoyed. I’d took to doing batch cooking which worked out great for avoiding any waste and kept costs right down – I was getting very good at it too.

I spent the morning of Saturday 13th January packing my bags, for another dog sitting stint at Jamie’s. Nanny Kay picked me up as I had bags and she was taking Jamie to the airport so it made sense. She was super helpful in taking me to the market on the way so I could pick up some provisions, rather than having to come back and carry it. I didn’t go mad but I bought bananas, peppers, broccoli and chestnuts for a total of 160 lira (£4.17) and we drove to Jamie’s. Norman and Edna were so excited to see me and little Norman seemed to be doing better than he was last time. Edna was just happy that we might get to go to the Waterfall to see Skippy. After saying bye to the humans, I played with Norman and Edna for a while then I ate my leftover Spaghetti Bolognese from yesterday. Vanessa popped round for a cup of tea and a natter. Edna was pleased as she had worked out that the probability of a pub visit had increased.
At the Waterfall, Vanessa and I had a couple of white wine and sodas before going to our respective homes for dinner. I had a beef stew for mine with 2 Yorkshire puddings (out of the freezer) and it was so tasty.
At 8.30pm I got to speak to Captain Caveman. It was 12.30am already there so he was tired – we didn’t speak for long. He’d got a day off tomorrow but then was working on Monday evening, back in the cave on Tuesday.
My cough had still not gone and I required 4 pillows to sleep with, I had a nice shower, got my pyjamas on and was in bed for 10.40pm on a Saturday night.

It was my first full day with Norman and Edna on Sunday 14th January. I was awake at 5.50am but I stayed in bed until 7.30am. I let the dogs out and made myself a cup of tea, I had my overnight oats for breakfast. Norman’s back legs were still a bit weak so it was necessary to make sure he got help eating, drinking and going to the toilet. For lunch I had vegetable egg fried rice which was tasty and Slimming World friendly. I got peckish in the afternoon though so, instead of something snacky, I made myself a SW veggie pizza and synned the wrap. For dinner I used the rest of the SW Hunters Chicken turned in to a pasta bake and had a small portion of that. I resisted any wine, despite the health benefits, and was lucky enough to have another video call with Captain Caveman. It’s very rare we speak 2 days in a row, but it was lovely to see that he was enjoying being back at work and in Phong Nha. The passport photos I had sent to Captain Caveman were useless as, apparently, you need to see my ears. I had to do them again so that he could apply for my visa for me. We decided I would go in a couple of month’s time and stay for the 90 days.

Dalyan – 10th January

It was great to wake up back in my own bed on Wednesday 10th January, I’d missed it a lot. I had planned on sleeping in and had not set an alarm but I woke up about 8am. It was still not fully light so I stayed in bed planning my day. I knew I needed to adopt the right attitude today, I also needed to get back on the healthy eating and continue to exercise. I knew that mentally, I needed to look after me more, too. I started the day with getting weighed and measured as it was Fat Club later. It wasn’t as bad as I’d expected with only a 0.5kg gain since I last got weighed at home. My bust and hip measurements remained the same and I had lost 2cm from my waist. That was pretty good considering my syn intake, but then I had been walking 2 big dogs every day, even in the rain! I had some dried figs for breakfast, the ones my mom had given me. They can count as a Healthy B option, instead of bread, and I used to do this when I reacted badly to gluten. I had the sausage from the left over Ela’s Kitchen breakfast, for lunch then I went to face Carol’s scales at Fat Club. I was flabbergasted to see I had lost 0.8kg, back to my pre Christmas with Josh and Martha weight! I was back to my usual habit of ordering a big bottle of water (1.5 litres) and taking the hour at Fat Club to drink it all. It’s only 40 lira (£1.05) which is the same price as a cup of tea.
After a successful Fat Club, I took myself off to the shops for a restock and proper big shop, which would take more than one trip to carry it all. I noticed there had been quite a few price increases as I tried my best to get the offers and bargains, using all the different supermarkets available. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
1 lemon 2.69
1 Dido chocolate bar 9.50
Gherkins 22.50
6 eggs 44.90
Ground ginger 47.90
3 Quark 59.85
Fabric Softener 67.50
Cheese slices 87.90
Chicken breasts 111.95
Beef burgers 116.91
Chicken thighs 125.47
Mince beef 154.90
Total Spent 851.92 lira (£22.42)

Şok Supermarket
2 Pasta 18.00
Baking powder 32.00
Mozzarella 46.50
Sweetcorn 56.90
Toilet roll 68.00
Mac n cheese balls 84.90
Total spent 306.30 lira (£8.06)

Bim Supermarket
Popcorn kernels 12.50
Burger buns 28.25
Hamburgers 62.50
Diced beef 150.00
Total spent 253.25 lira (£6.66)

A101 Supermarket
3 packs of Taco wraps 37.50
BBQ Sauce 49.90
Total spent 87.40 lira (£2.30)

Yaman Büfe 2 off licence
1 bottle of red wine 129.50
2 bottles of white wine 439.00
Total spent 568.50 lira (£14.96)

I had spent a grand total of 2,107.37 lira (£55.45) but it did mean I could do lots of batch cooking and be frugal with the housekeeping. Good news came from my boss, that his replacement bank card had arrived from the UK and he was able to set up payment for my wages. I was so glad to hear that I would finally be getting paid early next week.
Before dinner, I put the ingredients for another Christmas fruit cake in the slow cooker, it would be ready just after midnight. My meal this evening was an attempt at fake fast food, called a Fakeaway in Slimming World circles. A Big Mac, using the fresh burgers from Migros and a homemade sauce. I adjusted the recipe from the airfryer Bored of Lunch book and it cost me 14 syns but it was worth it!

Dalyan – 5th & 6th January

On Friday 5th January I was hoping to hear news from Rhodes that meant I’d be getting paid next week. My last wage had been just over 5 weeks ago, on 29th November, and things were looking pretty bleak. I had a bad feeling and I was preparing myself for more disappointing news as, assuming it did arrive and was picked up from the post office today, it was still the weekend. The wages wouldn’t reach my account until Wednesday, next week, which was the day before my birthday. I decided to try to remain positive, optimistic and hopeful as I walked each dog in the misty, cold morning weather. I had buttered toast for breakfast and made a shopping list. I needed to get the bus in to Dalyan to go to get some provisions.
A friend got in touch to ask if I could pencil her in for a 2 week dog sit next month and we said we’d meet up to discuss further. She sent me the requirements and dates for her dogs and I sent back some info. I also had Jamie’s dogs booked in for February so I needed to check if there was any overlap on flight times.
At lunchtime I got an update from my boss about my wages, it was not good news! I read the message but couldn’t reply as I’d not topped up the credit on my phone and was on my way to the bus stop. The Post Office was closed until the 10th January so I would have to wait another 5 days, which was not going to be easy.
Here’s what I bought at the shops with the prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
3 packs of crisps 76.50
1 pack jellies 17.50
Total spent 94.00 lira (£2.48)

Bim Supermarket
Bread 7.50
Dido chocolate bar 9.75
Naan breads 34.75
671g chicken 106.69
Total spent 158.69 lira (£4.19)

Yaman Büfe
1 bottle of rosé wine 150 lira (£3.96)

This shopping trip was a little different to usual because I was replenishing the crisps and jellies Captain Caveman and I had eaten at Villa Infinity and I was stocking up on bread products to go with soup, stews and curry. I’d thought, as it was the weekend, I would treat myself to the wine, which was on offer, and my favourite chocolate bar.
I ate left over chicken and stuffing for my lunch then had some fruit.
For dinner I had some of the wild boar stew but I wasn’t really in the mood, I didn’t even open the wine.

I woke up early on Saturday 6th January and decided that I couldn’t let not getting paid get me down any more. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could physically do to get the money any quicker. I walked both dogs who got quite dirty and wet, as it had rained last night. It was good therapy having Big Boy and Lucy to look after and they definitely were getting more and more used to me. I made a chicken tikka masala from scratch and popped it in the slow cooker. I’d not seen my parents since Captain Caveman’s leaving drinks at Waterfall on Tuesday so I’d invited them over to Villa Infinity. My mom had suggested that we meet when I came to the weekly Dalyan market and that we could either walk or get the bus over and go to Günlüklu restaurant on the way back. Dad’s not keen on going to other people’s houses so Mom had said they might not come to see the dogs but just go to Günlüklu and I said that was fine. I’d eat the curry if Dad couldn’t be persuaded once I saw them. I got the bus in to Dalyan and went to the market where I splashed out 70 lira (£1.85) on a cheese and mushroom gözleme for breakfast. The price had increased by 17% since I last had one a few weeks ago, but it was still worth it. My mom had changed her mind about coming to the market as they didn’t need anything. They were leaving in 3 days so asked me to get them some rocket and tomatoes for a dinner party they were going to tomorrow.
Here’s what I bought at the various stalls and the prices in lira;

Mushrooms and pumpkin 75
1kg of mixed dried fruit 250
Rocket and tomatoes 50
Total spent 375 lira (£9.89)

I dropped some stuff off at home and decided I should get weighed and measured, seeing as I hadn’t for a couple of weeks. I was 0.65kg less than at the last Fat Club weigh-in but I’d put 2cm on my waist.
I went over to my parents’ at 12.30pm thinking I was going to pick them up for us to go to Günlüklu for lunch. I’d misunderstood as Dad was making lunch at home for them both. I stayed for a bit while they ate and then we went to get the bus.

At Günlüklu my parents had a couple of Efes beers and I had 2 glasses of wine, I didn’t realise the wine was 180 lira (£4.75) for a small glass, twice the price of a beer, and should have checked the cost of a bottle. Dad was up for the curry so the three of us walked to the corner shop to get some wine on the way.
At Villa Infinity, Big Boy and Lucy really enjoyed having some visitors and were very well behaved and friendly. The wine and the curry with naan breads went down a treat and we had a good laugh. Dessert was a Dido chocolate bar each, and my parents hadn’t had them before. It was just what I needed to cheer me up and the dogs didn’t want Ma & Pa to leave. Big Boy kept pretending he wasn’t tired or falling asleep but he was shattered.

Dalyan – 1st January

At least I started yet another year without a hangover on Monday 1st January but I felt terrible. This cold/flu bug really had put the kibosh on any new year or farewell drinks with Captain Caveman or my parents. I’d barely slept because of the coughing! I messaged my parents and Captain Caveman to invite them over to Jamie’s later in the day to exchange new year wishes, seeing as we had all stayed in, in the 3 different places last night. Captain Caveman said he was feeling better this morning and had given me some advice about walking Big Boy and Lucy on 2 separate walks when I take over, as they both had a likelihood of chasing cats or other dogs. Lucy had also had to be given some medication because of gun shots in the area. I’d been taking Norman and Edna separately so that was no bother and they weren’t concerned about fireworks. Captain Caveman said he would come over around lunch time. My mom replied to say she was off on the Yellow boat trip to Köyceğiz again today with some other Dalyan Dwellers and it would depend on their plans after the boat trip as to whether they would be free to pop over.
As it was Captain Caveman’s last day, and it would turn out to be our last meal together, I decided to cook a Sunday dinner with Yorkshire puddings. I made roast chicken, potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage, the Yorkshire puddings and realised I didn’t have any gravy. I messaged Jamie to ask if I could use his and, he not only said yes, but said to use some stuffing too! Captain Caveman and I were so excited as we’ve not had stuffing in quite some time. I opened the Prosecco and we had a really lovely last lunch. It’s always weird saying bye to Captain Caveman not knowing exactly when I will see him again. Captain Caveman went back to Villa Infinity with a full belly, in plenty of time to feed Big Boy and Lucy. I braved the walk to the pharmacy and found it was open. I stocked up on Strepsils, Tylol and Advil at a cost 653 lira (£17.41) which was horrendously expensive. I messaged Mom to say I was popping out, in case they popped over. At around 6pm, I was back to being fully dosed up and was trying to get a taxi to take Kate some medication as she was also out of supplies. At 6pm Ma messaged to say they were in Tez and wouldn’t be calling round as the weather looked unpredictable. I couldn’t get a taxi, neither could Tez, so Penny kindly went to take Kate some medicine. I got in to my pyjamas, both Captain Caveman and I stayed in our respective temporary homes with our borrowed pets and had early nights (again).

Dalyan – 30th & 31st December

I woke up on Saturday 30th December and went downstairs to check on Norman and Edna. After a wander around the patio, Edna wolfed down her breakfast but Norman was not too eager to eat, he also was refusing to drink any water, which was odd. After several cups of tea and a back to bobos on the sofa session it was time to go to the market.
Captain Caveman had come over from Villa Infinity so that we could shop together but he could take what was needed at Bill & Jaxx’s house and I could keep the rest at Jamie’s.

Here’s what we bought at the Dalyan weekly market but I didn’t make a note of all the individual prices.
2kg Tangerines
2 onions
Spinach
3 red peppers
1 green pepper
2 apples
6 bananas
Spent 145 lira (£3.87)

Gözleme x2 110 lira (£2.93)

When we got back, Captain Caveman and I took the dogs for a walk, to the Waterfall. They like it in there and Norman loved a nosey from his pushchair as to what was going on. I just had a soft drink because I felt rubbish but I was trying to chivvy myself up a bit for tonight’s party at Ghislaine’s. I went back to Jamie’s and Captain Caveman went back over to see to Big Boy and Lucy. Unfortunately, Norman had had an accident in his pram and needed another wash.
Captain Caveman came back before 7pm, all dressed up and ready for a party. I felt worse and couldn’t go but I packed off Captain Caveman with 2 bottles of fizz and 3 bags of marshmallows. Mark & Kate and Carol & Ian were going to be there so he’d know other people and he does love a curry.
I ended up having my homemade pumpkin soup and an early night, napping on the sofa with the dogs. I really hoped to be better for tomorrow, as there was a Sunday walk, it was New Year’s Eve, I’d not seen my parents since Christmas Day and our friends, the Aussies, were arriving.

Historically, New Year’s Eve has not been the best time for me as I’m usually sick. Sunday 31st December was no different and I woke up feeling terrible. I’d hardly slept from coughing all night and when I finally got to sleep, Edna had come scratching at my door at 5am. I was coughing a lot, my body ached and I had to use an inhaler once I started coughing as I couldn’t breathe properly.
When I eventually went downstairs at 7am, Edna had been sick on the rug and on the sofa, which is not like her. So now we were the poorly trio and it was time for cups of tea and back to bobos on the sofa, after all the scrubbing and putting a wash on. Both dogs were off their food and I forced down a banana so that I could take my medication. I called in sick to Captain Caveman’s Sunday walk which was his last until next October. He’d organised the walk so that it finished at Günlüklu restaurant but I wasn’t fit enough to make it and didn’t want to pass on my germs.
I spent the day with Norman and Edna, forcing Norman to drink water as I think he was dehydrated. After a very short walk, we sat out on the patio and had a little sunbathe, while dosed up on flu medicines and drinking cups of tea.
Kate had arranged a New Year’s Eve bash at Tapa bar for this evening and I thought nearly all of our Dalyan friends were going. I’d likely be in my pyjamas by the time it went dark, cuddled up with the dogs. Even my parents were going to stay in as they weren’t well either. The Aussie’s, Amanda and Greg, had messaged to ask where the party was and where we were all meeting up but the best I could do was send them the invite to Tapa for tonight.
In the afternoon I tried to get in touch with Captain Caveman and couldn’t, I assumed he’d gone to Günlüklu and carried on having a new year drink there but when he did respond he’d gone to bed feeling poorly after the walk. He was flying back to Vietnam in a couple of days and really could do without getting ill for his journey.
I had nothing planned for dinner and really couldn’t be bothered to make anything, I was down to my last Strepsil, which were giving me a dodgy tum and I had no hot lemons left. I decided to go to the chemist but when I got there it was already closed for new year. There would have been an alternative open but I couldn’t walk that far. I decided to go to Migros and see what they had in the freezer section for dinner and I thought some sucky sweets might help my cough and sore throat.
Here’s what I bought from the shop with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
2 Dido chocolate bars 15.75
2 packs of wine gums 21.00
1 chocolate Magnum 25.00
1 Ginger Ale 43.00
1 box of frozen pizzas 95.92
1.6Kg whole chicken 115.06
1 bottle of Prosecco 279.90
Total spent 595.63 lira (£15.88)

I was impressed with a decent bottle of fizz for less than £7.50 and a full sized Magnum ice-cream only being 67p. I wondered why I hadn’t had one before now, as I ate it on the way back to Jamie’s – it soothed my throat better than a Strepsil. I saw Fikri and he wished me a happy new year, which was nice, as he rode past on his motorbike. I popped the stuff in the fridge and had one of the frozen pizzas for dinner, they weren’t bad. I had no intention of drinking the fizz tonight but I thought my parents and Captain Caveman may want to pop by tomorrow to raise a glass to the new year. I had fell asleep watching TV but woke up before midnight and went to bed.

That’s another year of my Shenanigans done, it finished the way it started; snuggled up with a pet in someone else’s house.
What a year it had been, it’s hard to remember sometimes how much happens.
Overall, I ended 2023 weighing 4.7kg (10lb) lighter than I started it, which I was pleased about.
2024 looked to be a little uncertain, with a few challenges to suss out but I was hopeful things would work out in my favour.
With Captain Caveman and my parents leaving in January, I was gearing myself up for a quiet Dalyan winter. My priority was to earn enough money to keep my residency and continue on the Slimming World plan to keep the weight off. I didn’t make any new year’s resolutions, as I never stick to them, but I did make a note to prioritise my health a bit more.

Dalyan – 23rd December

I should have been up early on Saturday 23rd December as I wanted to make a Christmas cake for the beach party tomorrow. Josh and Martha had brought the cheddar cheese for us to take and the idea was to put it with fruit cake as our offering at the buffet style free for all. It being Dalyan, I had kind of left it a bit late but was not unduly worried as I’d found a cheat recipe which could be done in the slow cooker. Josh bought croissants for breakfast and I had that before we all went to the market. We were still wandering round the market at 12.30pm and I’d managed to buy some extra dried fruit. My mom had already got me 5 140g packets of sultanas from Migros when she went to Fethiye. They didn’t have the usual dried fruit stand in the Erasta shopping centre so she’d got me the next best thing when I asked her. I still needed 300g of other dried fruit so I bought dates, currants and apricots which cost a whopping 235 lira (£6.35). I think the stall holder had seen me coming and had our pants down there!
At 3pm I read the instructions for the cake making and realised I didn’t have one of the 4 vital ingredients so Captain Caveman and I went off to Migros.
I bumped in to Ozzy, a Turkish friend, which was lucky as I have no experience (in any country) of buying 2 cups worth of chocolate milk. Ozzy helped me choose the right carton and it cost 45.90 lira (£1.24) for a litre.

It wasn’t until almost 5pm that I noticed the instructions for the cake said to soak 1kg of dried fruit in the 2 cups of chocolate milk and three quarters of a cup of Bailey’s for 24 hours! Ooops. I popped it in a bowl and then started preparing for a soirée/curry night, a glass of residual Baileys on the go. There were Josh, Martha, Jamie, Captain Caveman and I for dinner so the tables had to be moved to fit the 5 of us in. Captain Caveman was playing Bridge on his phone and got annoyed at having to help move furniture and didn’t see why it had to be done yet. I wanted to be organised so that I could get on with the vegan and the chicken curries, get enough rice in my cooker for 5 and not forget the naan bread. Before putting the Baileys away, I had another one – I’d forgotten how moreish it was.
The curry night went well with some of the diners having thirds and I did forget the naan bread.
I didn’t take any photos because I was too busy trying to make sure everyone was ok but by the time we’d finished I decided to fold the flour in to my soaked dried fruit. Licking the spoon from that mixture was a bit boozy and I wasn’t convinced it would turn out well enough as they don’t have self raising flour here. I didn’t have any baking powder either so I used Bicarbonate of Soda and a bit of lemon juice – which is meant to be an exact measurement but by now I’d had too many wines and Baileys to care. Jamie took photos and posted on Facebook about my culinary first and I wasn’t surprised to hear that not many people had faith in my efforts.
It was meant to take 7 hours on low so we set a timer to turn it on at midnight, and an alarm for 7am tomorrow to turn it off. As one of our friends on Facebook asked; ‘What could possibly go wrong?’

Photo credit – Jamie

Dalyan – 21st & 22nd December

Some of the guests in the house were feeling a bit delicate on Thursday 21st December. Poor Martha had spent a bit too much time in the bathroom last night after a bit too much gin and wasn’t feeling too great. I decided to make banana, egg and blackberries in to Slimming World style muffins and I also had my overnight oats for breakfast. Josh had gone to the shop for croissants, Captain Caveman had gone Bumming. We decided on an easy day and night today, we needed to save ourselves for Christmas Eve on the beach and I still had to make a fruit cake.
I was already on over 50 syns from yesterday but chose to eat crisps! Captain Caveman came back, showered then popped to the shops as I’d decided we were having curry tonight. Here’s what Captain Caveman bought and the prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Onions 7.80
Red Cabbage 16.74
Carrots 44.65
Filter coffee 76.90
Spray oil 89.90
Bananas 92.15
862g chicken 111.97
Total spent 440.11 lira (£11.89)

We had lentil, pumpkin, chickpea, and spinach curry with steamed rice and it tasted ok. Josh fancied a beer at Lukka after, under duress Martha and I agreed. While the men had beers, Martha and I managed to force down a hot chocolate, which was gorgeous.

Friday 22nd December was our 12 year anniversary, according to me as I go by the actual date. Captain Caveman, on the other hand, likes to mark it as the Thursday before Christmas. He still said Happy Anniversary to me and brought me my cup of tea in bed, I had started to feel quite under the weather now and I looked pretty rough.
I’d not been able to justify paying to have my hair done until now, but I was getting quite desperate so I was going to splash out. I had an orange from our tree for breakfast then drank cinnamon tea and a lemon & green tea to try to alleviate my cold symptoms.
Captain Caveman went to Bridge Club, Josh and Martha were heading out to the tea gardens and asked me to come along. I actually wanted to go back to bed but I showered, got ready and joined them. I do like the Kaunos tea gardens and, as it is council owned and run, the prices are really good. Captain Caveman joined us after Bridge too and it was a nice lunchtime visit. Here’s what we had;

2 large Turkish teas 20
1 Nescafe coffee 25
1 cheese toastie 45
1 Efes Malt beer 75
1 Menemen 75
2 spinach pancakes 130
Total spent 370 lira (£10)

Captain Caveman went to the barbers for a shave, I headed over to Emrah’s new hairdressers for the first time since he moved. As I was leaving home I’d noticed the water was off and, unfortunately, it was the same at Emrah’s. It didn’t stop him and he simply got on with dying my hair, this time I’d gone for something a bit warmer and a mix of 2 colours. It was raining hard outside and as I sat catching up on my blog, Michele came in for a trim. We had a chat and she mentioned that she was after photos of the shelter sponsored dogs wearing a Christmas hat, for a Facebook post. I volunteered Captain Caveman and I to go up, as long as she could lend us a Christmas hat.
My hair price had gone up to 1,000 lira (£27), he’d dyed it, cut it, added a few layers, blow dried then curled it and I was pleased with the colour too. The cost was still very reasonable if you compared it to the UK but was probably 5 times the cost of where I get it done in Vietnam. It’s always the rule that after a hair appointment, it’s compulsory to go out so, despite it raining heavily, we were off out. We’d arranged to meet Nanny Kay at Lukka bar but she cancelled due to the weather. Instead, we decided to try Filo which is a relatively new place that I’d not been in yet. We walked past Heybe towards Retro bar and found that Filo was closed. As the 4 of us turned around Michele and Nick drove up with the Christmas hat and gave it to Captain Caveman. We went in Lukka bar where we were the only people, the rain meant most people were staying indoors. We played pool and learned how to do some slower and harder shots. I had only one glass of white wine because I prefer the red but I was finding red wine a bit too harsh on my sore throat.
For dinner we went to Jiks where Vanessa and Brad joined us. They had been in Tapa with the pool gang but ordered their food to take away and had a drink with us while they waited. The pizzas were really nice and the waiter didn’t mind when we all did swaps or asked for certain toppings. It was a good night, I’d been able to show off my new hair and the rain had not spoiled our fun.

Dalyan – 19th December

It was all go on Tuesday 19th December and we were both excited for Josh and his girlfriend to arrive in Dalyan that afternoon. Today was also Daisy’s 25th birthday with a party booked at Tapa from 2pm.
The cleaner was not at our apartment at 8.30am, as agreed, so we waited to see if she turned up. She was late as the office wasn’t open for her to collect the keys any earlier but no harm done. Captain Caveman and I decided we would go to a cafe or somewhere for a hot beverage, maybe some breakfast, before he went to Bridge Club. After walking round Dalyan to find nowhere open yet we bought 2 chocolate croissants for 37.90 lira (£1.02) from Migros and walked round the streets eating them.

When Captain Caveman left, I waited for Kaunos tea gardens to open and had a tea. I messaged Jamie to see if he fancied meeting up and I had a second breakfast with him, at Ela’s Kitchen. As tomorrow was weigh day, I tried to make as sensible a choice as I could. The beans on toast that I ordered was a very generous size and I was pleased id managed to resist Sev’s sausage.
By 11.30am I was on my way to my parents’ place as arranged so that I could go to Jiks with Dad, while Mom went for her hair cut. Captain Caveman would meet us at Jiks for lunch. Ma finished early and we all ate together; Dad a burger and the rest of us had pizza which was great – my diet was well and truly blown! While there, Jamie messaged to ask if I would be able to take 2 bed side lamps to Tapa for Janet. He was selling them for a friend, Janet, who was going to be at Daisy’s birthday party, where we were going to go for one, before Josh and Martha arrived. Of course I agreed and we carried them over to Tapa where the Dalyan gossip started that Jamie must have sold his house because he was getting rid of some lamps!

Daisy’s 25th birthday party at Tapa was busy with lots of friends. My parents had a cold but had managed to muddle through and I had a bit of a sore throat coming. We’d already said we weren’t staying long as we needed to get back to greet Josh and Martha who were on the plane. Captain Caveman left first with instructions to ring me when he knew that Josh was in the taxi. He forgot, so when I got back home our guests were already there!
It was great to see Josh again after a year and it was impressive to see he’d really done well for himself. Captain Caveman and I liked Martha straight away as she was really lovely – it takes a special kind of person to agree to a week in Dalyan with us lot (as I’m sure you can imagine). I just hoped we wouldn’t be spoiling her Christmas holiday and that she could get through the Dalyan shenanigans. We decided to ease Martha in gently with a trip to the Waterfall so we could have a drink together and get to know each other a bit better. She had a good sense of humour and it was obvious we were going to have a great week. Jamie popped in for one with Norman and Edna and he wasn’t too pleased that Dalyan Dwellers thought those lamps were his – surely they knew he had better taste in décor! We asked my parents, who had also left Tapa when I did, if they wanted to join us to meet Martha and welcome Josh back. Dad had already got bored at home waiting, so they had gone back to Tapa. The four of us decided to go to join them where we introduced Josh and Martha to everyone, some people Josh had already met. We had a couple of drinks and decided we were going to go for a meal as we were all peckish and I’d already booked Simple for the 6 of us. Daisy didn’t want us to leave and Josh, the not so devout vegan, managed to eat a slice of chocolate birthday cake as we were departing.

Simple was lovely, just the 6 of us indoors, with Onur the chef making us very fresh and tasty food. Josh and I had the vegan pumpkin soup, the others had the chicken soup – all were delicious. Martha and I had the pulled beef burger (with chips), Captain Caveman had a chicken quesadilla and the rest had the Asian noodles (meat for my parents, veggie for Josh). All the food was excellent although the noodles were on the spicy side.
Simple is not licenced for alcohol but we were able to get beer and wine from next door. The prices were reasonable to say it felt like a private dining experience. Unfortunately, my 2 breakfasts, a pizza lunch, a few wines and a loaded burger meant that I had completely gone over the top on the syns this week. We went back to Tapa to rejoin the birthday shenanigans which were now getting even more lively. It had been a great day and we had more excitement planned for tomorrow. Fat Club was going to be a bit more like a confessional for me tomorrow, having had 548 syns.

Dalyan – 18th December

We had splashed out on getting a cleaner in on Monday 18th December. Our original plan was to have been going to the Köyceğiz weekly market on the yellow boat so that we could have a nice day out with a trip to the market for a few treats, however, with not getting paid I’d thought better of it. We decided we would go next Monday instead, with Josh and his girlfriend and make a bit of a day of it.
Instead, I went over to Vanessa’s for a nice cup of tea and a catch up. Her son, Brad, had arrived in Dalyan for Christmas and we all got treated to one of Vanessa’s bacon sandwiches with brown sauce – lovely.
Captain Caveman had gone Dogging but messaged me at lunch time to say he was at my parents’ place, to keep out of the way of the cleaner at our apartment. I said my goodbyes to the Grubb family and went over to Ma & Pa’s.
By 1.30pm, the 4 of us were on our way to Ela’s Kitchen for lunch. Captain Caveman ordered the large English breakfast and I chose to have a second breakfast with a small fry up, giving my egg and tomatoes to Captain Caveman. My parents ordered chilli con carne which I thought was a brave move, given that spicy food doesn’t agree with Dad. The food was absolutely delicious although the chilli had tons of fresh chillies in which I had to help Dad take out of his meal as he couldn’t see all of them. They said they still enjoyed their meal and was great without all the chillies in it.

After our meal, Captain Caveman and I went to the hardware store where he picked up a tool for mending our door handles and I found some cute yellow wellies. Both were 250 lira (£6.76) each, which I thought was cheap for wellies but expensive for fancy pliers. Winters in Turkey can be very wet and I didn’t have any suitable footwear to handle rain so they would come in handy. Our next stop off was to Migros and the off licence for a few bits;

Migros Supermarket
1 Onion 2.48
Bleach 23.75
2 Quark 39.90
15 eggs 60.00
Total spent 126.13 lira (£3.41)

Yaman Büfe 2
2 bottles wine 259.00 lira (£7)

When we got home, the cleaner had not been and I was not too pleased. We’d been out all day so that she could get it done and our guests arrived tomorrow. I would have to do it myself and started stripping the beds as I messaged to check what happened. For some reason, it had been booked for next week but I was told that the cleaner could still be there at 8.30am tomorrow. I was hesitant as we had stuff to do and I didn’t want the bedding, floors and rugs to still be wet, when our guests arrived. I was not feeling too well but was ready to tackle it when Captain Caveman said to confirm the cleaner for tomorrow, so I did.
We noticed the woman, who we thought was the cleaner at B4, was actually staying in the apartment and had the dog on the balcony. It had started barking at anyone walking past now and seemed strange that the dog wasn’t inside. We do have a rule of no animals on the complex but given that some people encourage and feed the cats, a dog didn’t make much difference. After sorting out the bedding ready for the cleaner and guests, I got on with organising a meal out for tomorrow night. I’d asked my parents if they fancied joining the 4 of us and suggested YOLO restaurant as both Captain Caveman and I had it on our list to go to and lots of friends had recommended it. They had been once and didn’t enjoy it so I went in to town to take photos of some restaurants’ menus. That way I could see where might be good for the 6 of us to have our first meal. Another one of the places I really wanted to try was Simple, and I called in to ask about the menu. Onur, the owner and chef, had worked in Koh Rong (Cambodia) and Backyard No.9 (Dalyan) so I already knew he was good. He was in the process of updating the menus so he let me take a photo of the one on his phone.
Once I had all the menus, I suggested Simple to my parents and they agreed to give it a try.
Captain Caveman made us pasta for dinner and we had a power cut just as the food was ready. It didn’t last too long and we had candles at the ready to eat our food by.

Dalyan – 16th & 17th December

Of course I was hungover (again) on Saturday 16th December and it was raining heavily. I spent all morning in bed and felt bad when we couldn’t even make it to the weekly market. When I did venture downstairs, I made myself an egg and banana pancake, with persimmon and quark for a very late breakfast.
There was a Christmas treat auction being held at River House at 2pm but I was in no fit state to make it. Even if I were physically able to attend, I really didn’t need to break my diet for excessive treats that I hadn’t budgeted for anyway so I wasn’t too bothered about missing it.
It was date night for our 12 year anniversary tonight and we decided we would just go to Lukka bar, with the weather being so wet. I’d tried to get booked in for my hair doing but I couldn’t get an appointment until next Friday. At Lukka I ordered soda water while Captain Caveman insisted on a bottle of red wine. I was absolutely begging for mercy as Çetin, the waiter, poured us a glass each of the red Buzbağ wine. For starters Captain Caveman wanted pâté but they didn’t have that, instead he had cheesy garlic bread, I had garlic mushrooms. Both starters were great and Captain Caveman even shared his starter with me. For main course he had pepper steak and I went for one of my old favourites, sweet and sour chicken. Both came with homemade chips which were nice and we enjoyed our food. I only managed about a glass of the wine while Captain Caveman drank the rest. I started to feel quite unwell before we had left to go home and I even had to go home before Captain Caveman, with some leftovers in a bag. Our anniversary celebration night out cost us just less than £50 in English money equivalent.
Back at home, I felt quite unwell and thought I might spoil date night by having to have an early night by myself. By the time I’d come out of the bathroom, Captain Caveman was on the sofa, fast asleep and snoring, it was only 9.15pm!

My parents and I joined Captain Caveman on his weekly walk on Sunday 17th December. It was a sunny day for the 12km so I could just about manage that. As we left home I noticed that the person who was staying in the apartment opposite us, had a German Shepherd dog and it was on the front balcony, barking. Captain Caveman and I assumed the Turkish woman who was inside was the cleaner who had brought her dog to work with her.
After the walk Captain Caveman, my parents and I had lunch at the Kefal tea gardens. I was good and had 2 big Turkish teas while the others had beers. I accidentally ordered a chicken döner sandwich instead of a cheese and onion toastie but it was rather tasty. It did mean that I’d gone over 300 syns for the week now so Wednesday’s Fat Club weigh-in was certainly looking a bit dicey.
Here’s what we had and the prices in lira;

2 çay 20
1 chips 50
1 chicken döner sandwich 65
2 cheese toasties 90
2 mixed toasties 100
4 Efes Malt 300
Total spent 625 lira (£16.90)

Not a bad lunch for less than £5 per person on average.
That evening, I made enchiladas for dinner using up lots of defrosted leftovers from various meals out. It was lovely but I was ready for an early night as it would be a busy day off work tomorrow.