Cappadocia to Dalyan – 3rd & 4th September

On Wednesday 3rd September Captain Caveman and I were due to check out of the Mithra Cave Hotel and were thinking of staying 1 or 2 nights in the Göreme Cave Suites, which was fancier and had a pool. We were undecided as Captain Caveman had hoped to travel back to Dalyan via Eskişehir and take a scenic train back to Denizli. I was still sceptical that we could fit the trip in and return to Dalyan in time to see friends before Captain Caveman left Turkey. Captain Caveman decided he would get up to see the balloons again. The hot air balloon flights were super cheap at this time of year, at less than 50 Euros per person. However, neither of us wanted to do it.
We were still to decide what to do and we were thinking we might go mad and stay in the nicer hotel for a night or two. Captain Caveman had been looking at flights, trains and buses and weighing up the affordability. I was reluctant as I didn’t feel I should ‘waste’ the money.
After breakfast, I had to get my laptop out to do some work on a booking. We finally decided we should get back to Dalyan so Captain Caveman sorted out a flight and a transfer. I asked reception what time check out was (11am) then ask to extend until 2pm. Captain Caveman went off to buy more water and some travel snacks while I did a few things on my laptop. After checking out, I sat with the bags on a seat outside while Captain Caveman went sightseeing for the afternoon. At 5.30pm we were in a minivan on our way to Nevşehir airport for a flight to Istanbul. I remember two annoying passengers with tons of bags sat opposite us and that the driver had chatted up and taken the phone number of the young lady in the front seat, 7 minutes before we arrived at the airport.
We were delayed a bit which was eating in to the Lounge time at Istanbul that Captain Caveman had booked for us.
There wasn’t an awful lot of food left at the Lounge so I had some vegetables, rice and then later a plain bowl of pasta. I had 4 glasses of red wine, though. Captain Caveman drank beers and had a lovely chicken dish which I avoided in case it was too spicy. We boarded our flight from Istanbul to Dalaman on time and I fell asleep straight away.

Gratitude List
1. Getting to visit Cappadocia with Captain Caveman
2. Last minute flights and transfers working out
3. The Lounge, which was £20 approx each, so worth it.

We landed at Dalaman airport around 2am on Thursday 4th September and Sonuç, from Dalyan Transfers, was there to meet us. After some sleep, I woke up about 9am and Captain Caveman was getting ready to go Bumming with the Riverbums. Unfortunately, my day was not going to be quite as pleasant as picking up other people’s litter. I’d done something to my foot when I didn’t see a very shallow step and thought I’d stepped on a twig which had crunched. It was hurting, so I decided to go to the hospital to get it checked out.
While Captain Caveman went to Riverbums, I tried to make a hospital appointment but I was in a bit of pain and couldn’t really concentrate. I decided to ask Sonuç to take me to the Yucelen Hospital in Ortaca and get checked out. Captain Caveman had arrived back by the time I was leaving but he didn’t come with me. Sonuç had made me the appointment but when he looked at my foot he said he didn’t think it was broken and probably didn’t need to go. As I’d injured this leg 5 years ago I wanted to just check. I saw the orthopaedic doctor who touched my foot gently to see if it hurt, at first it didn’t, then I screamed out when he touched the bit that hurt. A translator was sent for, an x-ray was booked and I had to give my insurance documents and residency card to another receptionist. The walking between the different bits was starting to get tricky and extremely slow, but I managed.
The translator, Umut, was really good and we got talking about his trip to Japan. The x-ray person was friendly too and we went back to the doctor after, for him to tell me I had broken my 4th & 5th metatarsals. Oh dear. He gave me a prescription and told me to come back in 10 days for a check-up. I walked back to the pay desk where my insurer had already confirmed they would pay my bill, all but 875.16 lira (£16.21), and I had to sign a piece of paper. At no point was I told not to walk on it but I had crutches which Sonuç had picked up from Tay at Rehab bar. I was impressed with the service at the Yucelen and was back home by 3.25pm. I paid 2,000 lira (£37.04) for Sonuc’s services, too, which given he’d driven me about and waited there the whole time was a good deal. Although he’s not an official translator for medical stuff, he’d come in very handy and was great at taking my mind off the pain! I managed to cheese Captain Caveman off by not hobbling in to the chemist on my way back and assumed he would be ok to go and pick up my prescription for me. He was a bit put out but went anyway. The prices were as follows;

Balcı Pharmacy
Ketoprofen Painkillers 108.69
Naproxen spray 159.10
Frenag spray 247.21
Support Bandage 450
Total 965.00 lira (£17.87)

I was hungry as I’d not eaten yet today so Captain Caveman suggested we eat at Lukka, so I didn’t have to walk far. Here’s what we had with prices in lira from Lukka bar;

1 Sprite 110
2 small Draft lagers 170
4 Efes Malt 360
1 Philli cheese chicken sandwich 375
1 Crispy chicken sandwich 390
Total spent 1,405 lira (£26.02)

The food was lovely and a generous portion size – I’d somehow forgotten to eat sensibly this holiday!
I went back home for a rest and to put my leg up, the medicine can’t be taken with alcohol and I hadn’t known this so I would have to start the pills tomorrow as I had already consumed 2 halves of draft lager with a bit of lemonade.
We had no food in at home, on account of us coming home earlier, so for dinner we went out again. It took me far too long to hobble along to Ayaz, a fairly new local eatery. It was quite late so the staff were very apologetic to have run out of all lamb dishes. I had a chicken shish and Captain Caveman went for a chicken iskender. I had a fresh pomegranate juice and the whole meal was amazing at a great price, even though I forgot to note the prices.
On the way home, I bumped in to Aytaç Burçak Saraymine, my insurance broker. He wanted to check how I was and also how the service had been with the insurer. I knew the insurer would only pay up to 80% of any outpatient costs and I was happy with that. Aytaç invited me and Captain Caveman for a cup of Turkish tea with him and we sat and had a chat. I had been so happy that I had taken out the insurance with him. Lots of people (obviously, not experts) had told me that the cheaper insurance for residency wasn’t worth having but I certainly disagreed with that. My injury could’ve been a lot worse and cost me quite a bit just for not noticing a really small step!We stayed out until 11pm and I needed to rest my foot when I got home. The sprays were really helping and tomorrow I could start the stronger painkillers.

Gratitude List
1. Sonuç being available for hospital visiting
2. Not having a cast on my foot
3. Health Insurance covering 80% of the cost of my injury.

Dalyan to Cappadocia – 31st August

I went downstairs in the early hours of Sunday 31st August to find Captain Caveman fully dressed and asleep on the sofa. I had barely slept upstairs while full of cold and my alarm went off at 2am. Sonuç was insistent on taking us to the airport early, as he thought there may be queues even for the domestic flights. He arrived at just after 2.30am, the fare was £30 and we were at the airport before 3.15am. Captain Caveman was a bit mardy when we only took 5 minutes, maximum, to get through to the gate and, of course, it was too early for us to know which gate for our flight at 5.10am. Captain Caveman had booked us on a cheap flight to Ankara for less than £25 each and we would arrive at 6.25am. We landed a bit early and made our way to the Havaş shuttle bus which took us from Ankara airport to the main bus station. I forgot the price as we paid cash but it was cheap. Captain Caveman had booked us a Flixbus from Ankara bus station at 9am to take us to Göreme in Cappadocia which was less than £15 each and took about 4 hours. The bus station at Ankara is huge and we sat and ate our Ela’s Kitchen sandwiches there. There were toilets which had squat and western ones but you did have to pay to use them. I bought a water, a coke and some travel sweets in the bus station for 100 lira (£1.85).

The Flixbus was good, it had a toilet on but we also stopped for a loo break. We arrived in Göreme, Cappadocia, a little early after a couple of tours round the bus station. There was a bit of a walk up the hills to our cave hotel and it was hot and sunny. This was Captain Caveman’s first time in Cappadocia and he already looked impressed as he sped off up the hills. I had to shout him to wait to take my heavy bag at one point. We were early for check-in by an hour at Mithra Cave hotel, but the room was ready. Our room had a round bed and was inside a cave suite, I thought we had booked a room with a view and that the hotel had a pool but their Website was a little misleading and neither were available.

After unpacking and drinking all the water in the minibar we went off to find a tour company to book our Red & Green tours with. Originally, I’d asked a lovely guide called Ozzy but he was booked up already. It cost us €220 (£191) for each of those for both of us with Cappadocia Visitor. We also got a free bag from the guy in the office, which I was happy about. We went in to an off licence where we didn’t find any screw top wine so we just bought a big water for 25 lira (46p) and a big bag of crisps for 75 lira (£1.39), before making our way back to the hotel.

It was so good to be in Cappadocia with Captain Caveman. We had a stop off at a cafe for soft drinks, here’s the prices in lira;

1 small water 80
1 Lemonade 120
1 Double Espresso 170
Total spent 370 lira (£6.85)

It was definitely more expensive than being in Dalyan and I drew out more cash at the ATM. I had to check the budget later but I had a feeling August had been an expensive month. Captain Caveman and I were still on holiday in Turkey for another week too, so September was also likely to be extravagant in the first half.
We walked back up to the Mithra Cave Hotel and had a rest in our cave suite before I attempted a bath. It leaked and the water went everywhere so I didn’t try the jacuzzi part. The toiletries were also screwed to the wall and not near the bath.

For sunset we walked around the hotel then sat on the hotel terrace with a glass of wine each and took the obligatory Cappadocia skyline photos. I went to pay the bill and was quite surprised to find it was 880 lira (£16.30) for 2 glasses of red – luckily we just had the one!

Captain Caveman had chosen a rooftop eatery for dinner, close to the hotel. At Zukra we had a glass of wine each, a bottle of soda water and 2 tubs of very tasty mantı (Turkish ravioli) for 1,800 lira (£33.33). Not the cheapest meal but we enjoyed it, despite the paper container and wooden fork to eat it with. The staff were lovely and they also had a beautiful dog which we petted.
I was begging for mercy by 10.30pm having still got cold and being dosed up on Theraflu. I checked the budget spreadsheet and found that despite a £1000 budget for August, we had gone over that. I’d put in £844 and Captain Caveman had contributed £900 but we still had £310 left to go in to next month. I was happy to have spent less than £1500, given that I had been in the UK for 11 days and Captain Caveman had been in Turkey for 9 days already – we spend more when we are together. I was tired so it was an early night, ready for our full day tour tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. An easy (& cheap) journey from Dalaman to Göreme, Cappadocia
2. A holiday in Cappadocia, staying in a cave hotel with a round bed
3. Being able to afford a short trip to Cappadocia!

Photo Credit – some photos by Captain Caveman

Dalyan – 30th August

I woke up on Saturday 30th August with a cold and sore throat, I’d finally caught what Captain Caveman had in Köyceğiz.
It was toast for breakfast and some Theraflu medication with my cup of Yorkshire tea. I mainly did nothing until my video call with Vanessa at 3.30pm, which I did from my bed.
Captain Caveman and I looked at flights to Vietnam for Christmas and New Year but we couldn’t book them yet as not all of Captain Caveman’s holidays had been agreed by his boss yet. They also didn’t look that cheap as we would be flying the Friday before Christmas. We hoped to go for 3 weeks and would return on my birthday. Ideally, Captain Caveman would take flights from the UK but I would meet him there having flown from Istanbul.
At 4.15pm Captain Caveman got us both Dubai chocolate Magnums which we ate on the sofa together. He’d been in search of 100% fruit juice in each of the supermarkets and finally found some. Here’s what he bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Travel sweets 26.45
2 Dubai Chocolate Magnums 150.00
2 Cherry juice 179.90
2 Orange juice 206.40
Total spent 562.75 lira (£10.42)

In the evening, Captain Caveman popped out to see The Aussies and I went to bed feeling like shit. He said he was just going for one in Ozzy’s so I asked him to get me a Chicken pizza from there as they are delicious. We didn’t have anything in for dinner so I was really hungry by 10pm but Captain Caveman was still out and wasn’t answering his phone. I eventually tracked him down to Ela’s Kitchen when one of the owners let me know he was there and asked him to bring me a takeaway pizza. The pizza was ok, but it wasn’t the one I’d originally had in mind so I was a bit disappointed. Regardless, I ate it in bed and hoped I’d feel better soon because we were getting picked up at 2.30am tomorrow to go to the airport, and I had hoped to get some sleep. Captain Caveman didn’t bother coming to bed that night.

Gratitude List
1. Theraflu medication – it’s cheap and better than paracetamol
2. Dubai Chocolate Magnum to soothe my throat
3. Finally getting some pizza.

Dalyan – 27th August

We decided on a more relaxed day in Dalyan on Wednesday 27th August. Captain Caveman had planned to help out with a bit of Dogging at the local dog shelter in the morning. It was going to be another hot one so I declined to join him and caught up on a bit of blogging, as I was quite behind on the editing. I had beans on toast for breakfast and Captain Caveman made himself an egg related concoction before I had even surfaced.
As it was weigh day, I got on the home scales to find I had put on 0.25 kg (0.6lb), which wasn’t ideal but could’ve been worse. My measurements were not ideal either with a 1cm off my bust, my waist stayed the same and I’d put 1cm on my hips.
In the afternoon our friends, Amanda & Greg (aka The Aussies) had arrived from Australia for 6 weeks, and had invited us over to their villa. As soon as Captain Caveman was back and cleaned up, we walked over to see them and we were met with a surprise. They had brought us gifts and the most thoughtful one was a T-shirt for me which was my ‘You Can’t Shit Yourself on a Bicycle’ book cover with a QR code on the sleeve, to scan to my blog! I nearly cried with happiness at how good it was! And it fit perfectly – how fantastic. We had a drink to celebrate but then I had to leave Captain Caveman and The Aussies to it for a bit.
I stood in for Carol at Fat Club as she was away, her scales told me I had put 0.3kg (0.7lb)! We had a good chat at Fat Club but then I had to rush back to rejoin the welcome party. We had a few more drinks and then left to call at the supermarket opposite our friends’ house. Here’s what we bought with the prices in lira;
Garlic 54.90
Halloumi cheese 76.90
Frozen fruit 164.90
Total spent 296.70 lira (£5.50)

We had a bit of a walk through town and by the river towards home. We took the shopping home and I hung up my new t-shirt. Before dinner, Captain Caveman suggested a bit of a walk and then a drink in Lukka bar, which turned in to 3!!! Here’s what we had with the prices in lira;

3 Efes Malt 540.
3 Angora red wine 750
Total spent 1,290 lira (£23.88)

Although Lukka is certainly not for the cheap chasing crowd, I didn’t find the prices extortionate and the service is very nifty. I noticed on the receipt that Lukka quoted the price in lira, US dollars, Euros and UK pounds. They had the GBP price listed at £25.80 which meant that they were still using 50 lira to the £, but it was actually cheaper than that if paying in lira.
While at Lukka we got chatting to Katrina and a couple of our neighbours, they were eating what looked like some rather tasty meals. Katrina let me try her Çökertme which was very good so we decided we would ask The Aussies if they fancied joining the Music Bingo night tomorrow and have dinner there. As luck would have it, they did and we booked the last 4 seats (it’s very popular with the tourists) and even pre-ordered the lamb’s leg for the men. We went back home for a dinner of halloumi salad, knowing tomorrow we would be giving the ball a good kick!

Gratitude List
1. Catching up on blogging
2. Seeing The Aussies and having my surprise T-shirt gift
3. Impromptu drinks at Lukka bar with Captain Caveman.

Dalyan & Köyceğiz – 25th August

While friends in the UK had a bank holiday on Monday 25th August, Captain Caveman and I were off on another adventure from Dalyan. I’d arranged to join a friend’s boat trips to the Köyceğiz market and then I had booked a night in the Kaunos Hotel.
It did mean we had almost a full day on Adıl boat with Captain Fuat and all the lovely guests. We were meant to set off at 9.30am so I was on at Captain Caveman to be on time, he seemed to have increased the amount of times he leaves thing to the very last minute. This means he can rush there but then it always looks like I’m the late one as I can’t keep up. He wasn’t ready, so I decided to take the bin out and said I would wait for him by the bins. It was hot, I waited ages, he never arrived. I called him but he didn’t answer his phone. I walked back to the apartment and he wasn’t there so I decided to walk to the boat – he was already on it, sat playing Bridge on his phone and we had our first fall out!
Captain Caveman was annoyed that I lost my temper at being stood by the bins in the hot sun while he had gone to the boat a different way, not even passing the bin! He then retaliated by going quiet and going on his phone rather than speaking to anyone. We set off late so Captain Caveman was annoyed at me nagging him to not be late so the trip didn’t get off to a good start. I soon forgot about it when Captain Fuat got out the cake for breakfast. We sailed to Prison Island where some had a swim around it but I was conserving my energy for a swim in the hotel pool later; so we just had a shorter swim.
The lunch was a feast of many delicious dishes and Captain Caveman and I had a beverage or two! When we got to Köyceğiz, we paid our 2000 lira (£37) bar bill, in addition to the £30 each for the boat trip and said farewell. Our friends on the boat had an hour in Köyceğiz while we were going to check in to the hotel and return tomorrow.

Captain Caveman and I checked in to the Kaunos hotel, which was right on the Köyceğiz lake path and had a gorgeous pool. Debbie at Fat Club had been before and had recommended it. I’d chosen the most expensive room type to ensure we had a lake view with a balcony to sit on for sunset and sunrise. My plan was to go to the market and off licence to stock up on cheese, olives, fruit and wine so we could enjoy a romantic evening after our swim in the fabulous pool. Of course, that didn’t quite go according to plan.
I knew Captain Caveman wasn’t feeling 100% but thought it was because he’d been necking beer in the sun and was dehydrated. He wasn’t his usual speedy self as we walked to the market and he didn’t even taste all of the cheeses and olives (it’s not like him to turn down free nibbles). At the market, here’s what we bought with prices in lira;

Market
Cheese 500
Olives 80
Tomatoes & figs 50
Grapes 25
Total spent 655 lira (£12.13)

Bakery
2 Açma 40 lira (74p)

In the Carrefour supermarket Captain Caveman wasn’t in a rush to get out and was browsing slowly for snacks, while I got the last 2 bottles of Prosecco. When Captain Caveman put orange juice in the basket I assumed it was to have bucks fizz the next morning. We spent 940 lira (£17.41) on snacks and fizz which was rather extravagant for me.

We got back to the hotel around 5.15pm and went to get our swimmers on. Again, Captain Caveman wasn’t as speedy as usual and by the time we got down to the pool it was almost 6pm. Unfortunately, the pool was closed for cleaning so we were unable to use it and I was so disappointed – it was the main reason for choosing this hotel. I couldn’t believe it was almost the end of August and I’d still to swim in a swimming pool! The pool man could see my frustration and came over to show me the signs and explain that the hotel pool is always closed from 5.45pm until 10.15am for chemical treatment.
In just my swimwear I went off to the reception to check what time we had to check out. I was flabbergasted to find we had to be out by 10am, 15 minutes before the pool opened! I said to Captain Caveman that we would check out tomorrow but then come to the pool until midday and he agreed. I also insisted we sit on a lounger by the pool for half an hour now, just to get some photos of the pool and hotel grounds.

Back in the room we opened the Prosecco and I got some of the nibbles out. Captain Caveman had to be coaxed out on to the balcony and we had orange juice in our fizz. Captain Caveman was not bothered about sitting out as ‘he’d seen a sunset before’! He had also started blowing his nose and sneezing a lot and remained laying on the bed for the rest of the night, on his phone.
I sat out on the balcony drinking Prosecco, eating cheese and olives and admiring the romantic view, by myself. It wasn’t quite the day off I’d imagined for the money we had spent!

Gratitude List
1. A lovely boat trip on Adıl boat
2. A hotel stay in Köyceğiz with lovely views
3. Prosecco.

Photo credit – some photos by Captain Caveman

Dalyan – 23rd August

Captain Caveman arrived about 5am on Saturday 23rd August while I was fast asleep. Sonuç had picked him up from Dalaman airport and it cost just £30. He’d had a good journey but was tired after a busy week.
Our plans to go for breakfast at La Sorella were postponed. It was time for Captain Caveman and I to get in to full tourist mode and enjoy our holiday in Dalyan. Our first job was to pop to Aksoy Jewellers to change some English pounds. The rate was 54 lira to the pound so Captain Caveman changed just £100, obviously giving us 5400 lira to spend over the weekend. I felt rich, given that in January that amount had almost been my entire month’s budget.
Our next stop was for lunch, we had skipped breakfast, and we decided to sit by the river at Okyanus. On the way, we bumped in to one of the boat men who used to play football before an injury. He had spotted Captain Caveman’s Dalyan Spor football top so was having a chat about that. I’m not a fan of blokes on holiday wearing football tops (probably because I don’t like football) but it turns out that if you’re wearing a foreign one, no one thinks you’re English – the Croatian one always catches people off guard.
Okyanus is one of our favourites due to both the location, right on the river, and the friendly waiter, Üstün, who we’ve known for some years. My parents had introduced us to him and he’s got a great sense of humour. Captain Caveman ordered an Efes Malt (for breakfast, as he’d not eaten) while I ordered a soda water. We both had chicken wraps, mine with homemade chips and Captain Caveman ordered onion rings. We got chatting to Simone, a fellow Yorkshire lass, who I’d not seen for ages. It was good to chat and see her and Üstün were still doing well. We paid 1,490 lira (£27.60) for 3 dishes and a couple of drinks each.

Our next stop was to see our old mate, Mehmet, at Lukka bar. Obviously, with living so near to Lukka, I see Mehmet and Katrina often but Captain Caveman likes to make Lukka one of his first stops to say hello. We sat at an outside table enjoying the view and with me moaning on about sport on TV – unless it’s F1 I’m not interested. Obviously, it took me 30 minutes to realise that Captain Caveman was not listening intently to me rambling on about holiday plans – he was watching the footy on the TV behind me!
We paid 500 lira (£9.26) for 2 Efes Malts, 1 Angora white wine and 1 soda water.
Captain Caveman was keen to nip to the shops so here’s what we bought, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
1 red cabbage 26.22
2 toothbrushes 27.95
710g tomatoes 42.56
1 lettuce 49.95
Sliced bread 64.50
Cherry juice 89.95
Total spent 301.13 lira (£5.58)

BIM Supermarket
Frozen strawberries 95 lira (£1.76)

Butchers
10 chicken skewers 210 lira (£3.89)

Corner shop
2 Magnums 130 lira (£2.41)

We did laugh at how cheap all those tomatoes were and I confessed I had started to eat them in Dalyan as they are just so cheap!
Back at home, we had a bottle of prosecco with our chicken salad and had our first night at home, just relaxing.

Gratitude List
1. Spending the whole day with Captain Caveman
2. Seeing familiar faces in Dalyan in our favourite places
3. Prosecco – I had been saving it to celebrate Captain Caveman’s arrival.

Dalyan – 20th to 22nd August

Weigh day certainly seems to come round a bit too quickly; Wednesday 20th August was meant to be my last good weight loss before Captain Caveman arrived for our 2 week holiday. I’d definitely cut down on the alcohol and only had 5 glasses of wine all week but I had been round to a friend’s for dinner and been on a boat trip this week, so I hadn’t avoided 2 lots of desserts. At home I’d lost 0.45kg (1lb) but we would see if Carol’s scales differed later. My measurements were good and I’d put 1cm on my bust but lost 2cm from my waist and 1cm off my hips. I got on the bandwagon with the water bottle to make sure I drink more water. I always drink at least 2 litres per day but, as it was hot, I was aiming for 3! I popped over to Jamie’s for a quick Resort Experts conflab and I intended to pick up his loppers and pruners but forgot them – we were too busy chatting about holiday destinations. On the way back, I remembered as I went in the Block A entrance rather than Block B, that side looked much better, as if the gardener only does that side of the complex then gets bored.
At Fat Club I was pleased to find I’d lost 0.6kg (1.3lb) although I was still 4.35kg (almost 10lb) over my target now. It just goes to show how much crap I was having in the UK, how quickly I was putting weight back on when I went there and wasn’t following the plan. It would be interesting to see how much I put on when on a 2 week Turkey holiday with Captain Caveman in just 3 days time! I missed a Zoom call about my forthcoming travel planner which happened to clash with Fat Club and then I also had to get back for a client call. This one was the start of a special enquiry as it was with a friend’s husband who was wanting to organise a surprise trip for a specific birthday next year. I can’t say too much on here as she will probably be reading it and it’s going to be one of the best kept secrets! The call went so well and I actually couldn’t wait to see what I could find on this one. We had quite a long discussion and there were lots or requirements and a specific budget but it was a good ‘un! Jamie popped his gardening tools over to mine so that we had them ready for Captain Caveman.
For dinner, I had a mystery meal from the freezer with mushrooms in (forgot the photo as I was hungry) then decided I needed to go shopping at 9.30pm.
I had hoped the supermarket would be less busy at that time but it wasn’t. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Pasta 13.95
Milk 19.90
Chickpeas 32.95
Bananas 67.17
Cashew nuts 84.50
2 Quark 91.80
Walnuts 98.50
Cheese 114.90
Total spent 523.77 lira (£9.61)

It was certainly a sign things were better than at the start of the year as I would have thought twice about buying nuts as they were a treat. I was still concerned at the sharp rise in Quark prices, though.

Gratitude List
1. Losing weight this week (even if it wasn’t much)
2. More new enquiries for my travel business
3. Being able to rely on Jamie for gardening tools.

There was a bit of excitement on Thursday 21st August as I had been invited round to a friend’s after work. I was really apprehensive about taking time off when Captain Caveman arrived but I knew how much he needed a holiday, and I probably did too. I didn’t want to be spending the money we were getting in just yet, as I really wanted to build back up some emergency funds and rainy day money. I was also a little worried that I might miss some precious holiday bookings and book sales. I was still at the stage that each opportunity was important and every bit of commission counted. I was keen not to be ‘unavailable’ should a potential customer want to book. Captain Caveman wanted to travel around Turkey and some of the journey by train, which meant I probably shouldn’t take my laptop with me. It’s a fine line but I would see how the first week went, I was already pre scheduling all my social media posts up to the end of the first week of September, just in case.
I had quark with berries (no oats) for breakfast then I worked all day. In the morning I had a catch up with my friend and colleague, Dagne, in Majorca. There was a Resort Experts team meeting too at lunch time, so I ate beans on toast around 2.15pm. In the afternoon I played telephone tennis with one of the suppliers I had asked to price me up a bespoke trip.
I switched the laptop off at bang on 5pm and walked over to Janet and Ian’s villa. It was precisely 24 minutes but would have been 25 had Ian not come to meet me at the shortcut through some bushes. I met their friends, Sam & Lucy, who had a lovely daughter and they seemed somewhat familiar. We hit it off right away and we all had a lovely afternoon. I joined Janet with a glass of wine or two and it was very relaxing just sat by their pool.
On the drive back to take me home, Janet, Ian and I decided to nip to Mono and More for a bite to eat. Janet had been telling me about the scampi she had tried so I was keen to eat that. We both ordered the same with a glass of wine while Ian had soup and fish and chips. All the food was very lovely and at a reasonable price for non-Turkish meals. The scampi was whole-tail, not the reformed stuff, and I really enjoyed it. I did see one of the owners eating a Chinese dish which looked amazing. Funnily enough I only ever eat a Chinese meal when I’m in the UK and even then, not very often but the portion size and the food looked impressive. I was even invited to try a mouthful, on account of my eyeing up of her food, but of course I politely declined. I’d had a really lovely evening and we made plans for when Captain Caveman arrived too. Ian offered to drive me home but I decided it would be a good idea to walk off my meal.
Recently, I had seen various Facebook posts and news articles saying how quiet Dalyan was. If the streets by the mosque were anything to go by, that wasn’t true. It was 11.20pm as I walked past lots of tourists either on their way to a bar or doing some browsing in the shops.

Gratitude List
1. Being able to have a holiday with Captain Caveman
2. Eating great food
3. Having a wonderful time with friends.

It was only 23°C when I awoke on Friday 22nd August but, looking at the forecast for today and the week, the weather was looking great for Captain Caveman’s visit. I was super excited and his flight was tonight at 9.50pm from Gatwick. We both still had our last day at work to go but I had already put on my out of office and had a to do list longer than my arm. In my lunch hour I nipped to buy eggs from Şok and ended up getting 15 eggs and some jellies for 104.95 lira (£1.93). I also bought a Turkish loaf and a simit for just 30 lira (55p) from the bakery. I ate the simit for lunch and got straight back on to the to do list for another hour. Captain Caveman called me while he tucked in to a more substantial lunch (I think a fish finger buttie) and he was really looking forward to getting back to Dalyan. I tidied up, changed the bedding, did the laundry and ran out of time to do more cleaning up before dinner. I ate a chicken and mushroom Slimming World concoction for dinner at 10.15pm, but didn’t particularly enjoy it. I went to bed, knackered and thinking I’d probably forgot to do something important.

Gratitude List
1. Sunny weather in Dalyan
2. Captain Caveman coming to Dalyan in just hours
3. Getting a lot done, even if I still didn’t finish everything.

Dalyan – 15th August

I had a busy morning with holiday enquiries with Resort Experts on Friday 15th August, a few friends had asked me to do them some quotes for winter sun holidays. I’d suggested Turkey to a few of them as it tends to stay nice weather until the end of October, and they can see me if they want to, too.
I didn’t eat lunch until 2.50pm, fried rice, as time was running away with me. I was acutely aware that while I’d been in the UK I had eaten much less fruit, so I took a walk to the shop after lunch to get some fruit. Here’s what I got from the shop, with prices in lira;
3 onions 4.10
4 nectarines 69.30
4 bananas 101.46
Total spent 174.86 lira (£3.21)

The bananas were more pricey as it’s not the season but still I needed fruit!
I’d had a request from my friend, Sausage Dick, to meet up with his daughter who was in Dalyan. He had bought a copy of my handy travel tips book, ‘You Can’t Shit Yourself on a Bicycle’ and wanted me to sign it for him. Georgina was staying at Central Park, a lovely small hotel in the Gülpınar area with a really nice pool. I agreed to arrive at 6.30pm and I was about 5 minutes late. When I went in, there was no one around and Kudret the owner wanted to check who I was and what I was doing before letting me in (a safe hotel). I sat in the bar area outside and the only 2 people I could see were snoozing face down on sun loungers. Kudret told them I was here and Georgina joined me first. Shortly after, Tom grabbed a beer at the bar then came to say hello. We exchanged stories of Sausage Dick and I gave her the signed book, which was in a bag. She didn’t look at it but promised she would take it back home. I was only there an hour tops and then walked back home to start dinner. I made a meatball and mushroom pasta which I portioned up for the freezer too. It was 9.20pm by the time I ate dinner and then I was back booking hotels until 11pm, including one for myself.

Gratitude List
1. Getting some fruit
2. Sausage Dick buying a signed copy of my book
3. A delicious dinner at home.

Dalaman to Dalyan – 12th August

I had arranged for Sonuç of Dalyan Airport Transfers to pick Drew and I up from Dalaman airport at 3.45am on Tuesday 12th August. I nipped through Duty Free and bought some Prosecco for 900 lira (£17) by which time Sonuç was right outside the door. He charged just £30 in total to take each of us to our gates in Dalyan. Even though it was dark, it felt very mild outside, but not uncomfortable. My plan was to have at least 4 hours sleep before starting work. When I got home I turned everything on but didn’t have WiFi at home.
At 5am I nodded off to sleep and I didn’t wake up until almost 10am! It was evident that the pool and maintenance man hadn’t been recently so I didn’t think I would be chancing a swim in the pool. I did the bare minimum, conscious that I was still tired, then ventured out to put the internet back on and get some provisions. Here’s what I spent in lira;

Şok Supermarket
Gherkins 59.90
Frozen berries 229.90
Total spent 289.80 lira (£5.32)

Captainnet
2 month’s internet 1200 lira (£22)

Migros Supermarket
1 sliced loaf 59.50
3 Quark 137.85
Total spent 197.35 lira (£3.62)

I wasn’t sure what had happened with quark but it had increased in price by 158% since June! Interestingly, the exchange rate was the same as when I was last here at 54.5 lira to the pound.

The Fire Opal complex looked quite untidy and grubby, someone had put bowls of cat food at the bottom of the steps so there were plenty of ants. I got the scissors out to trim the plants that were hanging in the way of the path and likely to have my eye out but I couldn’t do much with just scissors. A cute dog came to watch me and just sat on the path outside.

That evening, Jamie & Drew picked me up in a taxi and we surprised Nanny Kay by bringing her daughter, Elaine, in to Luz bar with us. It was such a lovely moment when Nanny Kay set eyes on Elaine, then went in to a panic about where she was going to sleep. Nanny Kay had arranged a very intimate gathering of close friends and family to celebrate her 80th and she wore a gorgeous outfit, ideal for photos and a birthday party. Ivona, of Princess of Ekincik fame, joined our table and we had a lovely chat. Nanny Kay had provided nachos for us all to nibble on as we had a drink. I stuck to wine which I remember being about 360 lira a glass (£6.61) so although pricey for Dalyan, it was about the same or a little less than prices I’d been paying back in the UK. I ended up having 4 drinks which is more than I should’ve. The party was really lovely and there was even a birthday cake. My bar bill was 1500 lira but with a tip worked out at about £30 and was a nice place for a treat.
While Nanny Kay said her goodbyes to people I decided to join Jamie, Drew, Elaine and a grandchild at Sofra bar, where I had just one more red wine. I left the others in the bar and went home at a reasonable time as I had to be up early tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Sleep
2. Sun
3. Nanny Kay’s 80th Birthday party with friends.

London – 11th August

My last day in the UK had arrived and I was sad to be leaving London on Monday 11th August. I could easily have stayed longer if it wasn’t for Nanny Kay’s 80th birthday celebrations tomorrow and the fact that it was so much more expensive being in England than Dalyan. Captain Caveman and I started work early but did break for an early lunch together and to get some shopping for dinner. Here’s what we bought with the cost in pounds;

M&S
White sliced loaf 0.75
6 eggs 1.45
Rice noodles 1.60
Pineapple smoothie 2.10
Nutty salad 2.90
Tabuleh salad 4.50
Pasta, garlic dough balls & pesto deal 7.00
Total spent £20.30

The rice noodles were for me to take back to Turkey, the salads for our lunch, which we ate on Barnes Green. We went to pick a seat near the tree (which Captain Caveman climbed on my previous visit) but were met with a huge disappointment. ‘Our tree’ had been recently cut down and we were both quite perturbed about it. I tucked in to my favourite Marks and Spencer’s salad, the one with nuts and edamame beans in. Captain Caveman was met with more disappointment as he tried to snaffle his salad which smelled and tasted like freshly mowed lawn! He wouldn’t be having that one again.

Back at the house, Captain Caveman found me a water bottle so that I could take it on my journey and we both had calls and meetings to get on with. At 3.15pm I shut down my laptop and decided I had done for today, I packed my hand luggage only but had to leave a few items of clothing and some food weighing scales behind.
I decided to go to the shop to see if I could get some nice travel sweets but I ended up buying myself a bar of chocolate and some Mentos for £2.05 in Tesco. I enjoyed my last walk through Barnes and pondered when I might next come back to England – probably 2026.
My flight wasn’t until 9.45pm and I was meeting Drew at Gatwick to fly back to Dalaman together. My train tickets allowed any-time travel so we decided I needed to leave Barnes station at 6.30pm.
Captain Caveman finished work just after 5pm and came in to the room with quite an urgent sounding question; he asked if I fancied a quick…(Now, at this point I honestly thought he might be about to ask if I fancied a ‘quickie’ but I had unnecessarily thought wrong)….game of Scrabble.
He’d obviously been thinking that he would like to even up the score from yesterday as it was the first time I’d beaten him. We quickly got the Scrabble board out and were up against the clock as we still had to cook and eat dinner. Of course, I let Captain Caveman win at Scrabble just so that we could eat without me missing my train or flight. We had the pasta with dough balls of which Captain Caveman had 9 to my 3!!! Then it was a bit of a rush to get out of the door for the short walk to Barnes Station. I was sad saying goodbye to Captain Caveman but I would see him again in 11 day’s time, when he arrived in Dalyan.

My train arrived in to Gatwick at 7.40pm where I met Drew in the Whetherspoons for a quick drink. I also bought 1 litre of Bombay Sapphire gin for £13.76 in the Duty Free. On the easyJet flight I was in row 2 and Drew in row 3 but there was a bit of jigging around and people in wrong seats so we both ended up in row 3 with our preferred window and aisle seats. I spent a small fortune on pink prosecco, water and pringles while on the plane, had a laugh with Drew, watched some rubbish I downloaded on Netflix and fell asleep. We were due to land at 3.45am tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Being able to have a last lunch in the park with Captain Caveman
2. A quick game of Scrabble before I left
3. Having Drew as my travel partner for the first time.

London – 9th August

With just 2 more days left for me in the UK, Captain Caveman really pulled out the stops again on Saturday 9th August. He had told me he was taking me out for a surprise in the afternoon so I was excited to know what it would be. He had got in from work at 4am and had slept for just 6 hours after working all day and night!
In the morning we had a wander round the Barnes Farmers market, which is so lovely. Captain Caveman bought his usual black pudding, bacon and sausages but we didn’t get any sausage rolls or belly pork this time as we were off out for lunch. I always admire the Cakehole stall but I never allow myself a treat from there – the cakes look amazing though. I did have bacon, a sausage, beans and toast for breakfast, cooked by Captain Caveman and it was delicious.
We also booked my train ticket from Barnes to Gatwick for Monday evening, which made me a little bit sad. After more than a month in England you’d think I would be itching to get back to Dalyan but I had really enjoyed being back and the month had gone so fast.

The time had come to set off for our afternoon surprise and I definitely would not have guessed what it was.
We arrived in Brixton Village at a place called Fish, Wings & Tings and we found the only 2 seats available outside in the sun. Time was of the essence so I hurriedly chose chicken wings, Captain Caveman ordered cod fish fritters and we both had a Carib beer. When it came, mine was super spicy and my mouth was a bit numb from the chillies (which I thought I’d picked out) so Captain Caveman got to eat all 6 of his fish fritters and half of my chicken wings. I had to order second beers as my mouth was on fire and I hoped whatever activity we were in a rush for next, did not involve having a good stomach. Our total bill for lunch with 4 beers came to £38 and that wasn’t the surprise.

The surprise was amazing and I soon forgot about my mouth being on fire. Captain Caveman had booked us tickets to a film at the Ritzy cinema in Brixton. He went to the counter to pick up the tickets and I still had no idea what we were going to see. The cinema was quiet and we didn’t get any popcorn or other snacks.
As soon as the film started, I knew exactly what it was. One of the best concert films of all time, especially if you’re a Talking Heads fan; ‘Stop Making Sense’ was made in 1984 and is just fantastic.
I was so happy and it was probably the first time I’d sat and listened to most of these songs without singing along – but I wanted to! I’d never seen it on the big screen before either so it was just an amazing experience. It was a really thoughtful surprise and we both thoroughly enjoyed the showing, although I think I saw Captain Caveman napping.

On the way back to Barnes we popped in to a Holland & Barrett for more Gin Gins (ginger sweets which are great for sea sickness) and were £11.84 for 2 packets. As it was sunny, we had a stroll around the stalls in Brixton Village on the way back to the station. We decided to get off at Barnes Bridge for a walk along the Thames and a crafty drink at the Coach and Horses, where I’m very partial to their house wine. We called in to M&S for provisions where I didn’t keep Captain Caveman’s receipt – probably because he knew I’d comment on how expensive tomatoes are compared to the ones from Dalyan market – he wouldn’t miss that, when I’d gone!
To finish the wonderful day off, Captain Caveman knocked up a carbonara for dinner which we had with rocket and raspberries for afters. We drank red wine and I didn’t fall asleep on the sofa as we had crisps to nibble on. Tomorrow would be our last full day together so we had more plans for a lovely day.

Gratitude List
1. Brixton beers in the sun
2. Seeing ‘Stop Making Sense’ at the Ritzy with Captain Caveman
3. The effort Captain Caveman put in to the day, despite him being knackered from working so much.

London – 8th August

Captain Caveman had volunteered for site work on Friday 8th August so he was working all day until 4pm, then having a sleep before doing a night shift! I cracked on with work and book stuff too.
At lunch time, I popped to the shop to get a card for a friend, I also noticed they had personalised Toblerones and she loves them. I generally no longer spend money on cards or gifts but I decided to splash out, seeing as though it was her 80th birthday next week and I was invited to her party. She was also getting a copy of my book, ‘You Can’t Shit Yourself on a Bicycle’ to go with it as she does ride a bike and she might find it useful.

Here’s what I bought at the local gift shop, prices in pounds;

Presents
Birthday card 2.99
Toblerone 4.99
Total spent 7.98

I went back home and worked on various ongoing projects and then finished at 4pm. While Captain Caveman went for a sleep, I went out shopping, here’s what I bought and what I spent;

Marks and Spencer’s
Raspberries 2.50
Blueberries 2.50
Olives 2.66
Tomatoes 2.66
Edamame beans 2.67
Parmesan 3.40
4 mini Cheeses 5.30
Total spent £21.70

Sainsbury’s Supermarket
Garlic 0.55
Rocket 0.89
1 Double Decker 0.95
1 Mars bar 1.15
Cream crackers 1.45
2 Fajita mix 2.00
Options drinking chocolate 5.95
Total spent £12.94

What I didn’t realise until I got back was that the mini cheeses were 5 for £4 but I’d only got 4 and paid £5.30! But now there are no cashier’s, no one points these things out and, even if I went back, there was not anything I could do. I usually avoid self scan supermarkets but it was getting harder to do. Some of the items I got to take with me back to Dalyan, so I put those to one side.
We had a chicken and chorizo pasta for dinner before Captain Caveman went to work in East London for the night.

Gratitude List
1. Being in Barnes with lots of nice shops nearby
2. Stocking up on a few treats to take back to Dalyan
3. Finishing at 4pm on a Friday.

Sheffield and Pontecarlo – 5th August

I worked and packed my things up in the morning of Tuesday 5th August. Mom came in to ask if I fancied a roast pork sandwich for lunch from the shop and I’d not had one this visit so, of course, I said yes. All 3 of us went for a walk as I wanted to get Captain Caveman a tin opener. He’d declined to buy the £1 one in IKEA which was probably rubbish so I got him one for a whopping £7 from the Co-op.
Ma left Pa with me while she went to the post office and cash machine but the sandwiches were ready before she returned. I had everything but dripping on, Dad had everything and Mom had her’s without apple sauce. I paid £14.60 for 3 sandwiches and a packet of pork scratchings which I didn’t think was bad and is cheaper than Beres. My sister, Gayle, popped round in the afternoon with Sumo, the dog, and we all said our goodbyes, hoping to see them in Turkey soon enough.
I got the 5.30pm bus in to town for £2.60 and then I got the 18.49 train from Sheffield to Wakefield Kirkgate. There, it was after 7pm and the waiting room closes so I was really cold in the wind as I had to wait 20 minutes for the train to Pontefract Tanshelf. I ate a packet of salt n vinegar discos while I waited and wondered why I’d not been eating more crisps this visit. I didn’t realise there were no toilet facilities at the station so I was pretty desperate for a pee when I got on the train. Luckily the train had toilets and it meant I arrived just after 8pm to be met by Captain Caveman, without jogging about for the loo.
He took my bag and we walked straight to the Robin Hood pub ready for the quiz. There were no seats inside and the huge beer garden was very smokey so we stood up next to the entrance. The quiz was a good one where we didn’t embarrass ourselves but we didn’t win. I had cherry beers and, at half time, they did sandwiches which were welcomed. I’m not usually a fan of a pub quiz, especially with genius Captain Caveman, but I did enjoy this one.
I was tired by the time we walked home so it was straight to bed without even checking where all the IKEA items were.

Gratitude List
1. Pork sandwiches with my parents
2. Being able to say bye to Gayle and Sumo
3. Pub quizzing in Pontecarlo with Captain Caveman.

Pontecarlo and Sheffield – 2nd August

Saturday 2nd August was a more stressful day, as we had to wait all day for the Virgin engineer to come. We had been using our phones on GiffGaff as hotspots which was fine in certain parts of the house but Captain Caveman had also bought EE as a hotspot which required me to keep logging in every hour. I was getting a bit tetchy about it and was also a bit aggrieved that there was only one towel in the house that we had to keep washing, drying and sharing. 15 years ago I’d have had a complete meltdown at that situation as I used to be that woman who used a massive bath towel for body plus a smaller towel for hair and a decent bath mat! Over the years of knowing Captain Caveman I’d grown accustomed to using just the one towel, and often a lot smaller in size when we lived in Asia. He was surprised that I had not brought my travel towel with me from Turkey but I had wrongly assumed there may have been adequate provision for towels. I was trying to convince Captain Caveman he needed more stuff, he was adamant that he had only rented until the end of the year so was reluctant to spend any money or time on getting things he could do without. Meanwhile, I was stressing over not having a bath mat and having to use a t-shirt to stand on so I didn’t slip on the tiled floor. I packed all my stuff up while Captain Caveman waited for the engineer, we were meant to be doing things in Sheffield but we got delayed.
Finally, the engineer arrived, agreed with Captain Caveman on the cause of the problem and proceeded to instal wires and fix it. He finished by 6pm and we were on the road, heading for Mosborough via a trip to IKEA.
At Ikea, we ate food first then I pretty much followed Captain Caveman around trying to keep up and suggest things he ‘needed’, then face an argument that he didn’t need things. The main thing we needed, in my opinion, was a bath mat, needless to say we did not agree on that item and we almost didn’t get one!
Here’s what we did buy with the prices in pounds;

IKEA
1 washing up brush 1.00
Oven glove 2.00
1 corkscrew 3.00
1 plate rack 3.00
1 draining board 3.00
1 bath mat 4.00
1 pair of scissors 5.00
1 bath towel 6.00
1 small frying pan 7.00
2 pillow cases 8.00
1 fitted bed sheet 9.00
2 roller cheese graters 10.00
2 pillows 12.00
1 double bedding set 20.00
3 pans 35.00
1 office chair 60.00
Total spent £203.00

We attempted to get 2 folding chairs but they were out of stock and only had one available so I suggested we come back for them tomorrow. The assistant said he would have more out tomorrow but Captain Caveman wasn’t keen on that idea so he just bought the one chair. I left him to do the check out as I needed the loo and by the time I got back he was ready to leave. He was not in a good mood and neither was I, I think we were still bloody arguing about a £4 bath mat. The good thing is though we both had a new roller cheese grater which I had seen at his parents, they are a game changer – especially for parmesan straight out of the freezer!
It was late when we arrived at my parents, we’d brought them an adapter plug, some Pontecarlo midget gems with liquorice black ones in and a bottle of wine. My head was frazzled so I suggested we opened the wine then showed off my new cheese grater!
It was too late to go out so we had a couple of drinks with Ma & Pa and they laughed at us falling out in IKEA.

Gratitude List
1. Finally getting Virgin internet sorted at Captain Caveman’s home
2. A successful (as in we got necessary items) trip to IKEA
3. Finally arriving in Mosborough for drinks with my parents.

Pontecarlo – 30th July

Captain Caveman had meetings from 9am on Wednesday 30th July and I had them from 10am. My Giffgaff phone was not responding well to being a hotspot for me to work from so I volunteered myself to do the breakfast sandwich run. Tuck In (great name for a sarnie shop) was just a few metres up the road and I ordered a bacon and tomato sandwich for Captain Caveman and a sausage sandwich for me. The 2 staff in there were really friendly and were asking if I was new round here. I explained I was visiting my other half who had just moved in and that we hadn’t yet had chance to stock up etc. The lady there recommended we use the Olio app to get free or cheap stuff, which was really nice of her. The sandwiches were lovely and it certainly wouldn’t be our last time there.
I took some photos of Captain Caveman’s new abode and then noticed I had a Resort Experts review from one of my close friends and now a customer. It was lovely and I was really pleased as, for some reason, it’s often more difficult to convince friends to support your business, while complete strangers are more likely to buy from you.
I attended my last Substack Zoom training with Ade at 10am and added to my to do list to look at setting up a profile, next month. Hopefully, this would bring more strangers in to my online world for both holidays and my book(s).
I made a shoping list for the house and then got on with more work until Captain Caveman’s lunch break. We drove to the supermarket and here’s what we bought with prices in pounds;

Tesco Supermarket
Fajita seasoning 0.85
8 Tortillas 0.99
150g Raspberries 1.70
500g peppers 1.79
4 toilet rolls 1.80
1 kitchen utensil 2.25
650g chicken breasts 5.10
4 way Extension cable 6.50
Plug adaptor 8.00
Total spent £28.98

I was looking forward to being able to use my new clubcard but I only had an email with the number on. A member of staff had to come over and key it in as I hadn’t downloaded the app which had a pretend card on it. I was hoping I’d get sent a physical card but, apparently, not any more. We did get 28 club card points, though, but not much use to me in Turkey.
For lunch Captain Caveman made himself something and I went to the shop for a sausage roll. It was a minimum spend of a fiver on a card so I treated myself to something I’d not seen before – a Ponte Pig. It’s like a gingerbread man but in the shape of a pig and was very nice. The shop staff were all friendly and I was really liking Pontefract, so much so that I’d started to affectionately refer to it as Pontecarlo.

At 1.30pm there was a delivery and I was so excited that it was for me! Captain Caveman had ordered me a new suitcase with detachable wheels, and small enough to fit under the seat on a plane! It was great and I could get more stuff than I thought I would in it!

To celebrate my new luggage we decided to have a walk through the area to a pub, The Carleton. It was one of those Greene King pubs and seemed to be very good with lots of different events on. A board advertised a monthly dog walk on the last Sunday of each month and lots of quizzes. We had a pint there which was less than £9 for 2 and then we walked back for Captain Caveman to cook us our first meal at home.

He’d already bought a big electric paella type pan so we had delicious chicken fajitas. He made his own tomato salsa and we were grateful for the 2 plates my Mom had given us. We drank white wine which I splashed out £9 on for a bottle, at the local shop. We didn’t have any wine glasses so we drank out of Mr & Mrs mugs, left by the previous tennants. The food was tasty and we had a great first full day in Pontecarlo – still no internet as Virgin are shit, but that’s too boring a story!

Gratitude List
1. Breakfast butties from Tuck In
2. A first try of a Ponte Pig
3. A lovely evening with Captain Caveman in Pontecarlo.

joloyolo

The ramblings and observations of a fortysomething lady of leisure

Tag: shopping