The one thing about being apart from your partner on Tuesday 14th March is that you don’t have to partake in Steak & Blow Job day – Google it, it’s a thing now! Lucky for me, because I’m rubbish at cooking steak! By the time I’d woke up Captain Caveman had gone back in to the cave but had messaged me at 4.30am (while my phone was on silent) to ask for me to sort out the payment to our new Pool and Garden maintenance company. Finally the other people on the complex had agreed to let Mehmet Kör at Elite take on the task. It was going to cost 50,000 lira (£2,128) for the year plus there was still the matter of getting the communal electric put back on. On another note, my ‘missing’ parents, who had failed to fly home from their holiday had managed to get in touch. They were in a hotel the other side of the world, somewhere, but the suitcases which were elsewhere had Mom’s phone charger in. Luckily it wasn’t much to worry about but it hadn’t stopped my sister and I having a slight panic on! We didn’t even know which hotel they were at, or even which country for definite. Luckily Ma & Pa managed to reassure me a little, while they sipped on the All Inclusive rum punch, that they would be coming home tomorrow. My food choices started out sensible and, as planned, with wholemeal toast, a cheese triangle and a cup of Yorkshire tea for breakfast. I did a 30 minute walk then popped in to Migros where I bought;
Lunch was the remaining chicken casserole and jacket potato (no butter), then some quark with satsumas. I had a red apple with cheese as a snack and, as I had plans for later, I warmed up a piece of nan bread to prepare me. I had to miss Singing Group in the afternoon but I did pop along to meet Mark and Kate at Tez bar where I decided I would pace myself with just a soda water for 20 lira (85p). I dropped off some old clothes and some cushions for Kaye, who was having a sale for the Earthquake charity this weekend. Daisy’s friend, Phoebe, had arrived and, after Daisy had finished work, we were all going to meet her for a night out. With it being winter, there were still only a few bars open but we decided to meet at Mustang bar. Mark and Kate agreed to come for one but then were going home as Mark was fancying a bit of scampi for dinner. The owner, Salih, let me try the wine, as I’d not been a fan of it last time but it was good tonight. Well, it must have been pretty good as I managed to have 5 red wines, a tequila, some of Daisy’s chips and the free popcorn! There was a cute resident cat who liked to get some attention. Mark and Kate ended up staying for a couple and left around 9.30pm, I got a lift with Mark on the mobility wagon to the bank so we could get more cash out. We had a right old laugh, but once Daisy had split her pants dancing, and Phoebe had started doing some sort of sexy dance, it was time for me to go home! I was home around midnight which wasn’t bad for someone who’s meant to be on a diet! Tomorrow’s weigh-in at Fat Club could be interesting; I’d had more alcohol this week but overall less total syns and a 5th of the sweet stuff compared to the previous week. I’d had exercise on all 7 days and 3 no meat days but would it be enough to still get a loss on Carol’s scales!?
Despite the weather forecasting that we were going to encounter quite a few days of rain, it seemed to be quite the opposite on Monday 13th March. Captain Caveman and my friend, Kat, sent me a photo of them in Coffee Station, Phong Nha, and they both looked like they were wearing warmer clothes than I needed in Dalyan. I got some Yorkshire puddings out of the freezer so that I could have them for dinner later then I had a nice walk around Dalyan, including a trip to the supermarket. I saw Gay Gaz and Roy having a beer at Ela’s Kitchen and politely declined joining them. It was tempting to give in to sitting in the sun with a cold one, and then end up having more than one and a possibility of ordering a sausage sandwich or something similarly synful. I excused myself that I needed to keep walking to get my steps in and buy fruit. As I’d not been to the weekly market on Saturday, I was short of a few things, here’s what I bought:
Bim Supermarket 2 red apples 4.79 2 grapefruits 7.55 2 onions 9.92 400g wholemeal bread 10.00 Sugar Free lemon drink 16.75 1 bag frozen green beans 19.75 2 fruit flavoured Quark 23.00
Total spent 91.76 lira (£3.90)
I was feeling quite pleased with myself for still being within my budget and not buying anything over £1 per item. After walking for almost 2 hours, I went home and had to get some less wintery clothes on after sitting on the balcony for the first time this year. I had something different for my breakfast today; a red apple and some Turkish cheese, with a Yorkshire tea, of course. Lunch was a generous portion of the chicken, aubergine, cauliflower and lentil curry which I had with steamed veggie rice to give me extra vegetables. I sat on the balcony a bit more and had to get the Factor 50 Aussie sun cream out as it was a real suntrap. I joined Jamie for a short dog walk but we resisted going for an alcoholic beverage. Once the sun went in, I put my winter clothes back on and reheated the chicken casserole and Yorkshire puddings. I chopped up the left over jacket potato in to chunks and recooked them in the oven, without oil. It was a really nice dinner and I enjoyed the healthy ‘roast’ potatoes. I made it my 2nd day of not drinking any alcohol this week as I’d only got until Wednesday to make a difference on the weight loss. Tomorrow, though, I had exciting plans!
Weigh-in day and Fat Club seems to come round rather fast. Wednesday 8th March had me on the home scales as soon as I woke up and I was 0.4kg lighter than last week. I had been awake most of the night, had a dodgy stomach and my eczema had flared up again. Of course, Carol’s scales are slightly different and I still had to get to 3pm. I took my measurements to find that my bust had remained the same but my waist and hips were 1cm less. I just had strawberries for breakfast with a cup of Yorkshire tea. It was John’s birthday today and Andrea had organised a surprise trip to Fethiye to go bowling. I’d said I was going and we were getting the bus at 10.30am, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to go as my stomach was still a bit iffy. Coincidentally, I got a message from Leanne at King Emlak who needed the Aussie’s keys from me and was popping over. I’d already had lunch by the time she arrived, later than planned. I’d added mushrooms to the vegan bolognese which I had with pasta. I found out 2 bras that were now too big for me to give to someone who had said they needed them. I wrapped them up and popped them in a gift bag, then dropped them at Tez bar, so they could be picked up later. At Fat Club I had actually lost another 0.4kg (0.8lb) and although it’s not very much, it was still another loss. This meant I’d now lost a total of 4.8kg (almost 11lb). I was pleased with that but I really needed to do better if I was going to be skinny in time for boat trips this season! It was also less than 10 weeks until I was due back in Vietnam and I wanted to be the same weight I was when I left there. On the way home, I popped to the shops. Here’s what I bought which took me over today’s budget;
Migros Supermarket Plastic bag 0.25 Pasta (macaroni) 7.90 Pasta (rigatoni) 10.90 Cotton buds 11.00 Pineapple Quark 14.95 Blackcurrant Quark 14.95 Paprika 16.73 Skimmed milk 17.50 Linden Tea 19.50 3 Plain Quark 44.85 1.1kg chicken 105.26 Total spent 263.79 lira (£11.23)
I had a snack of beans on toast when I got in because I was peckish and didn’t want to eat anything naughty. Andrea had messaged to say they would be in Waterfall after getting back from Fethiye but I still wasn’t feeling like going out. I was doing so well on the diet, not too bad on the budget and I knew I’d regret it if I blew both. I decided to stay in and have more vegan bolognese, with cheese. I treated myself to 15 syns worth of birthday red wine and had more cheese with pickled onions and some lemon drizzle cake. My stomach was back to normal now but I still felt really tired and lethargic.
Monday 6th March was quite a healthy day. Before Captain Caveman had left Dalyan, he had put some chicken livers in to the freezer and I was conscious that I hadn’t yet used them. So my attempt at a chicken liver slow cooker curry became a thing. I put the defrosted livers in to a bowl of milk to soak for a bit, this takes away any taste of iron or blood. For breakfast I had wholemeal toast with a cheese triangle and a cup of Yorkshire tea. For lunch I had one of my favourite treats; Slimming World style potato wedges with a third of a tin of Heinz baked beans. I had only just discovered that baked beans were allowed on Slimming World and that made me very happy. They are quite pricey so I tend to just use a third of a tin as a portion and add a drop of milk to make them a bit more runny. Before dinner I went to the shops to buy some food and here’s the items I bought, with prices in lira;
Although chicken liver curry wouldn’t have been my first choice of meal, it was quite enjoyable with some bulgur wheat and it was diet friendly.
It was quite a disappointing day food-wise on Tuesday 7th March. There was no electricity in the morning so I couldn’t have my Yorkshire tea. For breakfast I had just had a few pieces of fresh pineapple. I’d had to make do with fresh bread and a banana for lunch but the power came back on just before I needed to leave for Singing Group. There was a bit of tension between a couple of the old dears at Singing today, but apologies were made after snappy comments. Is it wrong that I enjoy the comedy gold of the participants’ interactions more than the actual singing? I treated myself to a cup of tea from the Merhaba Cafe but managed to resist the cakes. I must be losing weight because Madge spoke to me but didn’t ask about me being pregnant, this week! After singing, Kate and I cycled to Shiela’s for our first wine making lesson. With wine prices ever increasing we thought it would be a good time to start making our own. Sheila had very kindly given us some equipment to get us started. I’d, at first, suggested keeping the fermenting bottles at mine, away from cats! However, I was hoping to go to Vietnam, so Kate was going to have it at their place, but keep it away from the cats! Sheila gave us great instructions and also a couple of samples to try out. I was tiddly by the time we stepped back outside of Shiela’s gorgeous villa. There were some goats which were friendly so I took some photos before Kate and I cycled off to meet Mark at Tez bar. Once there, we joined Debbie (Darling), Roy, Ali, Kev, John & Andrea and had a good old laugh. I allowed myself 1 glass of red wine which is 80 lira (£3.50), and couldn’t resist the crisps which Debbie (Darling) had popped on the table. When the strawberry man came round, loads of us bought some. As Kate and I already had some at home, we shared a punnet for 25 lira (£1.09) each. Back indoors, it does get nippy once the sun goes in, I had a cheese sandwich for dinner and some strawberries. It was Fat Club tomorrow and I wasn’t convinced I would have lost weight. I’d had almost double the weekly allowance of syns but only 52 of them were alcohol. I had 2 meat free days, 5 days of exercise but only 1 day without any alcohol.
I felt very rough on Saturday 25th February as I got up to see what carnage remained in the kitchen. I had leftover curry with rice and the forgotten nan bread for breakfast, washed down with an orange juice and soda water and a cup of Yorkshire tea. I really needed to get to the market before it closed but I was feeling so fragile that I just couldn’t. I was meant to be meeting Debbie (Darling) for an afternoon drink but seeing as her Slippery Nipples were my downfall last night, I thought it would be wise to stay home instead. Around 3pm I pulled a bit of energy from somewhere and got to the market. I had a few things on my list but, after buying some strawberries for 50 lira (£2.13), I had an urgent need to get back home for a lay down. I called in to Migros on my way back to buy cornflakes and Quark which came to 51.40 lira (£2.19) and was a bit of a blur. As I came out of the supermarket Debbie (Darling) shouted me and was sat in Jiks with Brian and Ann. I was in no state to stand around watching people drink wine so I said to Debbie I wasn’t coming back out or joining them but would be on Jamie’s alcohol free night out later if she wanted to come along. Debbie (Darling) was so drunk yesterday that she didn’t recall seeing me, Jamie or Mark. I proved she had, by telling her we had restored all her lost photos on her phone and, when she checked, she was genuinely surprised. Back home, I ate strawberries for lunch, had a nap and a shower then had chicken, Turkish sausage and vegetable pasta for dinner before getting ready for another night out. This time, it was a pool night with Jamie and the Beverley sisters, which is always good fun. Both Jamie and I were on water and managed to enjoy a really lovely, civilised and sober evening. I went home just before 10.30pm and Jamie walked home past a rather lively Tez bar. I got an invite to go to Sofra bar but I declined, I was quite tired and sober on a Saturday night – it felt good!
I was awake for sunrise on Thursday 23rd February and got up early for my cup of Yorkshire tea. I decided that since I’d had zero syns on weigh day, yesterday, I was also going to be good today. I’d done a meal plan but instead of it being for the week, I had just done it up to Saturday. This is because I would buy what was on offer at the market and plan the rest of my meals around that. For breakfast I had a banana, strawberries, pineapple and quark. Debbie (Darling) messaged me to ask if I fancied joining her and Sue after their Turkish class this afternoon and I did, as I’d not seen either of them for ages. I had my lunch first which was a bit of an eclectic mix; radishes, carrots, stuffed vine leaves, roasted pumpkin and potato wedges. I met Debbie (Darling) and Sue outside Lukka bar, where they were having a beverage. Katrina was getting ready to open up the Maizie Moo shop for the season and she gave me my dogsitting money, which was nice. It would have been easy for me then to spend that money on having an alcoholic beverage but I resisted. We wandered over to Tez bar where I just had a soda water with ice. After saying hello to Angela and chatting briefly to Gary about residency renewals, it was time for me to go. At 5pm I walked to meet Jamie, we had arranged to set off on a dog walk from Mosque Square then call in to Waterfall bar. Again, I was good and had just 2 sodas, Jamie had coffees. On my way home, I decided to treat myself at the Şarküteri where I bought the following; 1 tin Heinz baked beans 35.00 BBQ sauce 45.00 Gluten free soy sauce 50.00 1 tin Coconut milk 55.00 Total spent 185.00 lira (£8.20)
It’s expensive to buy imported food here but I’d decided that I really wanted those items and had only spent just over the equivalent of a bottle of wine from the off-licence. When I got home I made more of my fake takeaway, sweet and sour chicken, which I had with egg noodles and loved every mouthful. I had a video call with my parents, the last for a while as they were off on holiday, then I did another Decluttering Bootcamp challenge at 10pm. I was starting to see some areas I could make some small changes and improvements, which was really good.
Sunday 19th February was a lovely day all round. It was still dark when I set up my makeshift dining area, ready for my first Sunday dinner with 4 guests. Some had doubted I’d get everyone in, in our small apartment, but I’d squeezed in 7 for a curry night once, although that was a bit too much and we didn’t have enough spare chairs. I had a cup of Yorkshire tea and some fruit to start my day off then took a trip to the shop. Here’s what I bought, some of which I needed for today, with the prices in lira:
Migros Supermarket
Fresh ginger 4.00 Fresh bread 5.00 Bottle of water 5.45 Becel spread 17.45 6 bottles of soda water 18.75 Flour 19.50 White beans 27.90 Fresh milk 28.90 Fabric softener 41.50 Falafel 49.90 3 tins of tomatoes 59.76 Toilet roll 68.90 Chicken breasts 78.45 500g Diced beef 82.00 Total spent 507.46 lira (£22.26)
I called at the corner shop to chase up what had happened to my water refill and they had forgotten again. They promised it would be there by noon and it was. Jamie was the first to arrive with his leek and potato soup and a bottle of water with cordial in. Next was Matt with his slippers and he grabbed the orange chair so he could pop them on. Mark and Kate arrived late and hungover after Sofra last night. Kate had brought orange juice and soda water as she wasn’t drinking alcohol today. She’d also brought a huge fruit salad for dessert. Luckily, I had got some cream and some ice-cream at the ready. Mark brought some cans of Efes and had them in a cooler but he too wasn’t feeling like drinking much. I had been looking forward to wine today and had opened a bottle of Tılsım, just for me by the looks of it! After a bit of a chat I warmed up Jamie’s soup in the Pampered Chef jug that he said was microwave friendly. Unfortunately it wasn’t and the handle melted so we had to resort to the good old fashioned pan method. In the to-do I forgot to get the butter out of the fridge but no one commented as we ate the soup and dry bread. Jamie’s soup was packed full of extra veggies and tasted really good. Our next course was more of a chicken casserole with carrots, onion, leeks and boiled potatoes. I served this with Yorkshire puddings and mini jacket potatoes so that it was more diet friendly than a usual roast dinner. Kate had brought some stuffing to accompany it and I’d made a chicken gravy from my own stock for those that wanted it. For afters we were ate the fruit salad with different combinations of toppings (crumbled ginger biscuits, ice-cream and cream). It was a lovely get together and Mark did quite a bit of the washing up and clearing/rinsing the plates as he likes a tidy ship. Once everyone had gone I finished the wine off and chilled out on the sofa for the rest of the day.
Tuesday 14th February was a good day, despite me waking up at 3.40am. It was cold and I obviously went back to sleep. At 8am I got the best message ever from Captain Caveman. We don’t often spend Valentine’s Day together so it was nice to know he loved me. For breakfast I had chocolate and tahini with bread and some cherry juice. I was trying to be good seeing as I had Fat Club tomorrow and I’d gone way over on my syn allowance this week. For lunch I had a simit with cheese spread and in the afternoon I went for a walk, then to the shops and bank. Here’s what I bought and the prices in lira;
I’d planned a non-valentine’s Valentine’s Day at mine that evening and everyone was bringing some food and drink. On the guest list was Ann, Nanny Kay and Jamie. Ann brought a massive salad and some other healthy nibbles, including potatoes, Jamie brought his version of a chicken şakşuka (aubergine and tomato based), I had the rice in the rice cooker and had made vegan Bolognese (using lentils instead of beef mince) which I’d stuffed the green peppers with then roasted. I poured the drinks and we had a good natter. We sat at the table to eat and all the food was delicious, and healthy. However, le pièce de la résistance was Nanny Kay’s dessert; she’d not let us down with her promised Christmas pudding and cream. It was amazing and quite naughty, but a great way to end our Valentine’s evening. As a treat, Nanny Kay had also bought me a bar of chocolate which looked a bit too tempting. It was 1am by the time I got to bed having had a really nice night with close friends.
On Thursday 9th February I woke up feeling cold despite wearing my dressing gown for bed. I had a cup of Yorkshire tea and some cornflakes before getting on with some last minute arrangements for the weekend. For lunch I had a bit of a mixture; 10 olives, 4 gherkins, carrots, pickled onions, and homemade Baba Ganoush with fresh bread. I decided on another no meat day today as I was trying to be extra frugal with the housekeeping. I slipped off the diet somewhat in the afternoon when I ate a small bag of jellies (which I was meant to be packing in my rucksack for the weekend), drank an Efes beer and ate 2 pieces of chocolate orange. I went to Tez bar to say goodbye to Vanessa and Brad. This is why I had the beer, but it was still within my syns and I was under control, honest! I got back on track for dinner with veggie egg fried rice but then ended up having a glass of red wine with some cheese while watching Netflix.
My blog posts were about to get disrupted slightly from today, Friday 10th February. I decided to take a day off from blogging about life. I had a cup of Yorkshire tea and some fresh bread with hazelnut spread, to finish it off. At 9.30am I got picked up to go to Fethiye in the morning but was back within a few hours. I made it back in time for a quick shop, where I bought some probiotic drinks, wine gums and satsumas for a total of 46.12 lira (£2). I ate steamed rice with sweetcorn and egg for lunch, before going to Lukka bar for my Turkish class. In the afternoon I accidentally snaffled some crisps because I was peckish then had a veggie pot noodle for dinner. I had managed my 3rd day of no meat and 2nd day of no alcohol this week but I did know that tomorrow I would definitely be going off plan. I packed my bags, including a Tupperware of emergency snacks such as carrots, walnuts, cake, jellies, a satsuma and the rest of the chocolate orange. I tried to have a nap but didn’t get one. My blog would miss a day tomorrow and start again on Sunday.
Wednesday 8th February was Fat Club day and it wasn’t looking good for any weight loss. I had consumed 376% of the Slimming World weekly syn allowance and almost half of it was in alcohol. There were only 2 days when I didn’t have any booze this week and my measurements were not good either; Bust +3cm, Waist +3cm, Hips stayed the same Right thigh +2cm, Left thigh +3cm, Right calf +1.5cm, Left calf +2cm. Even my legs were fatter! I had toast with a cheese triangle and some winter tea for breakfast, then a ‘diet’ pizza for lunch. I decided that today would be a meat and alcohol free day and I also did a bit of a walk then called at the bank. At Fat Club I made all my excuses as I went over to Carol’s scales; I had put weight on! This was no surprise but it was only 0.2kg (not even half a pound!) which was quite the miracle I needed. I heeded my own advice and had a 1.5 litre bottle of water which I made myself drink during the 1 hour meeting. After Fat Club finished at 4pm, I headed over to Rehab bar. Vanessa had told me that she was bringing some goodies to celebrate Matt’s 60th birthday with the pool group. When I arrived it looked like the ‘party’ was over and, luckily for the diet, I’d missed the cakes! Kate had saved me a cheese and potato ‘sausage’ roll which was superb and I had 2 pieces of Turkish delight. In the interests of damage limitations, I stuck to soda water and was thinking the others would be giving the ball a right kick for Matt’s birthday. Matt didn’t seem in the mood and he, Vanessa and Brad left at around 5pm. It might be the last time I saw them, as Vanessa and Brad were going back to the UK on Friday. I had another soda water with Mark and Kate before going to the shops on my way home for dinner. Here’s what I bought:
Migros Supermarket 1 pot noodle 9.90 Milk 17.50 Walnuts 32.50 Total spent 59.90 lira (£2 60)
Şok Supermarket Fresh bread 5.00 2 packets of jellies 9.00 1 packet of veggie ravioli 11.50 1 packet of meat ravioli 29.90 Total spent 45.50 lira (£1.97)
Back home I noticed that someone had chopped some branches down and they were in the way of the gate. It was bitterly cold so I had some french onion soup, Slimming World style, for dinner with the fresh bread. As I’d resisted alcohol I allowed myself 4 pieces of chocolate orange (only 10 syns).
I was up and about at Mark and Kate’s by 8am, on Thursday 2nd February. Kate made me a cup of tea and then went back to bed while I sat on their lovely new sofa. JC came to see if there was anything we could watch on TV and looked at me while I sipped my tea. I got a lift back in to town on the mobility scooter with Mark and Kate and went to the bank. Kate had recommended a few things in the supermarket that I wanted to try, including the nan bread from last night, so I decided to walk with Kate, who was off for her hair doing, to go to Bim. Here’s what I bought:
1st Bim Supermarket Carrier bag 0.25 Fresh loaf 5.00 Brown sliced loaf 11.50 4 nan breads 15.95 Total spent 32.70 lira (£1.43)
I’d had to go to both Bims because the offers they had on meat had lead to a shortage. At home I had a cheese sandwich for my breakfast before quickly getting ready for my Turkish class at Ela’s Kitchen. I was super thirsty when I got there so I completely forgot my new Frugal February rule, to have a large water, and automatically ordered a cup of tea and an orange juice. These came to 55 lira (£2.42) and the Turkish class itself was only 50 lira (£2.19)! Back home I had a bowl of soup with noodles in for lunch and had a chat to Captain Caveman. For dinner I ate more bread, some gorgonzola cheese, which needed eating up, and some olives. I also started to pack my bags as I was off on another dogsitting stint tomorrow!
Wednesday 1st February marked the day where I aimed to make a few changes. I wanted to be more frugal, find a more suitable part-time job, get paid what I was already owed and lose some weight. I never make new year resolutions for January as I know I will fail, especially as it’s my birthday month. February was a shorter month and would be easier to put some goals in place. The first thing I did when I got up was to get weighed on the home scales and take my measurements. The home scales read heavier than Carol’s at Fat Club but, if they were correct, I had lost a little bit more – I would find out this afternoon at Fat Club. All of my measurements had either decreased of remained the same so it was looking like a promising start. I had cornflakes with skimmed milk and a cup of Yorkshire tea for breakfast then went to the bank and supermarkets, here’s what I bought:
Migros Supermarket Bag of garlic 9.34 835g onions 10.77 M&Ms 10.90 140g plain Quark 14.95 1.7kg potatoes 15.26 Bin bags 18.50 2 pot noodles 19.80 400g Mushrooms 29.90 450g Spinach 34.90 Cream cheese 49.90 Total spent 189.32 lira (£8.30)
Şok Supermarket Wine gums 6.95 2 packet of plain crisps 23.50 Rice 27.50 Total spent 57.95 lira (£2.54)
Mark and Kate were having a curry night at their’s later and Kate had invited me. I said I’d bring a Saag Aloo dish with me too. I hurried along to Fat Club, eager to find out my results. Remarkably, I had lost 0.9kg (almost 2lb) and had now exceeded a total loss of 3.6kg (7.9lb, over half a stone) which was a great start to the month. Spurred on by a good result, I decided not to have a cup of tea which is served with a biscuit and decided to order a large bottle of water. Back at home I set about making my dish for tonight and wolfed down a late lunch of chicken, sweetcorn and egg fried rice using the left over chicken shish from Kordon’s on my birthday, which I’d got out of the freezer earlier. Once I’d made my potato and spinach dish I got a taxi over to Mark and Kate’s as I was running late and the pan was too big to carry. Fikri’s prices had increased by 20% to 60 lira (£2.63) for the 3.3km drive. When I arrived, there was just Kate at home so I wasn’t actually late. Mark and the other guests were all still at Rehab bar after pool had finished. Kate had made a delightful meal of onion bhajis, chicken curry, rice, nan breads, and various salad, chutneys and dips. It was lovely and I really enjoyed it with my bottle of Tılsım red wine I’d allowed myself, using my syns. It was good to see that Mark and Kate now had a cat room where they all had an individual bed and a litter tray, this would make it so much easier to look after them in the winter. I ended up staying over in the upstairs bedroom instead of getting a taxi back as I’d drank a whole bottle of wine to myself.
I got up early on Thursday 19th January intending to go back to bed but Charlie had cheekily taken my spot in the bed. I let all 3 dogs know that we had to get up anyway as Jamie was on his way home from Mauritius and would be arriving in to Dalaman airport at 9.30am. Norman and Edna were excited but Charlie not so much as I started packing and stripping the bed. By 9.30am Norman was pacing about the lounge and kitchen wondering where Daddy was but Edna was waiting on the sofa knowing there would be luggage to collect. By 10am Norman had drafted Charlie in to keep a look out for Jamie and they were on high alert for the sound of the taxi and gate.
Jamie arrived at 10.30am and after a doggy reunion we decided to go to Ela’s Kitchen for a breakfast. We both had the big one, me without tomatoes and eggs, Jamie without mushrooms, and it was delightful. Jamie surprised me by buying my breakfast as a belated birthday treat which was very good of him. Our next mission was for me to move back to Helen and Abi’s as I had quite a lot of stuff, including all the freezer stuff, to shift. Jamie drove me round and helped me carry everything too – it would have took me about 10 journeys on foot, easily.
As Charlie and I moved back in to the top floor apartment, Helen messaged me with sad news and I decided to give her home a bit of a spruce up. I took the Christmas tree and decorations down, hoovered up and checked with Katrina if it was ok to use the shower, now that the plumber had fixed everything. Jamie had already said I could use his shower if I needed to, which was very kind, but I could go to Captain Caveman’s place quite easily. Katrina confirmed it was ok to use as the leak had been fixed and she wanted me to try it to check all was well anyway. After putting all my stuff away I went to see what Charlie was up to and I found him on Abi’s bed. We went out on to the front roof terrace and I noticed that the hot water tank was spewing out boiling hot water so I let Katrina and Mehmet know. Charlie seemed to be pleased to be home but was a bit out of sync. I think he was either expecting Helen and Abi to be back or for me to be leaving him, because of all the bags. He even laid on what was Captain Caveman’s pillows as if he was hoping to find him back in the apartment. We had quite a long dog walk around the area that Charlie knows well and then went back ‘home’ for a quiet night in.
As we were almost out of dog food I went back to the pet shop and bought just 2kg of dog food for 50 lira (£2.21). Jamie had said if it was different to what Charlie was having, to mix it in with the old so that it didn’t upset his stomach, so I would do that. I went to Migros Supermarket too and bought skimmed milk and 2 lots of quark which came to 47.50 lira (£2.10). As I was coming out of the shop deciding what I would make for dinner, I got called over to Jiks!
Armed with the dog food and Migros shopping at 5pm, I went over to Jiks where Matt, Vanessa, Janet, Kev, Mark and Kate were having a beverage and they invited me to join them. I had a couple of white wine & sodas and, for some reason, all the ladies were trying on each others hats. We had a good laugh with Vanessa who had told us that Madge had been accusing her of talking too much. Nanny Kay and Becky arrived just as everyone was getting ready to leave and we briefly discussed my belated birthday get together next week. Matt & Vanessa had booked a table at Balıkçım for Thursday night fish and chips. I wasn’t going to go on account of me (supposedly) being back on my diet! I was (so easily) persuaded and, while Matt, Vanessa, Janet & Kev set off across town to the restaurant, Mark and Kate waited to give me a lift on their mobility scooter. This was handy as I could put my shopping on the back and we were there in just a couple of minutes.
At Balıkçım I ordered a glass of white wine to go with my fish and chips and it’s definitely the nicest white wine I’ve drank while out in town. Kate was very good and ordered meze dishes as a main meal while the rest of us ordered the infamous fish and chips. When it came I was very impressed as it was huge, the batter was crispy, the chips were excellent and the fish tasted amazing. Everyone else had either mushy peas or curry sauce (or both) on their’s but I just had the Turkish vinegar. A few splashes of non-brewed condiment would have made it perfect but we were in Dalyan so I couldn’t expect them to have that. Unsurprisingly, I ate every bit of mine and I even ate the generous serving of fresh rocket on the side. I was glad I’d gone along and was very pleased to have had such a big meal for less than an English £10. While we were there Matt and Vanessa spoke to Alp, the owner, about his forthcoming birthday weekend. He was going to be celebrating his 50th birthday at a 5 star all inclusive hotel in Antalya and Matt was organising a bus for anyone in Dalyan who wanted to go. After our fish supper someone, I’m not sure who, had an idea to go for one more drink! Janet and Kev headed off home, Matt and Vanessa said we’d meet at Bistro Blue, Kate and I walked there while Mark followed on the mobility scooter, with the shopping.
Inside Bistro Blue was nice and cosy at the bar area and it was only 8pm as we ordered drinks. I switched to red wine as I do like a red in Bistro Blue, Mark went from beer to red, Kate opted for vodka and diet coke while Matt had beer and Vanessa had a white wine and soda. The service was good but the music wasn’t as good without Selahı doing his DJing. We had a good laugh and when Matt and Vanessa paid their bill and left, I thought we would also be leaving. Mark and Kate had already said they would give me a lift back to Helen & Abi’s on the Puff Truck, it was on their way home almost and I was conscious that Charlie was on his own for the first time in just over 2 weeks. By 8.45pm Kate was doing some sort of drunken gymnastics on the stairs with the bannister and I was concerned an accident was waiting to happen. By 10pm Mark was also doing banister balancing which in turn lead to Kate having another go. Fortuitously no injuries were sustained and by 10.30pm I’d ordered the bill. I’d had 3 wines, Mark had 5 (we should have bought a bottle) but Kate had excelled herself with 6 vodka and diet cokes plus an extra diet coke. When the bill came it was a reasonable 80 lira (£3.54) per wine and 100 lira (£4.43) for a generous vodka and small bottle of diet coke. Mark and Kate saw that there was an extra 25 lira (£1.11) on the bill under ‘soda’ and argued they had not had a soda. This was actually for the extra bottle of diet coke Kate had asked for when she thought the vodka was a bit strong. I think Omer, the bar man, was happy to take it off the bill just to get rid of us, as Kate tried to pay on card. I paid mine in cash but Kate was too tipsy to be able to get the card and machine to do it’s thing. Luckily, I had cash on me so I paid the bill and took a photo to remind Kate in the morning. I got a lift home, almost forgot the shopping on the back, and said goodnight – it had been a really good impromptu night! When I got in, Charlie wanted to know what time I called this, getting in at 10.45pm on a school night smelling of booze!?
It was the start of my birthday week on Monday 9th January and the plans were coming along nicely. After breakfast I took the dogs out as usual but this time Charlie wanted to check on Milo, the dumped dog, who we had now found out was called Cookie. Apparently the owner of the off-licence, Yaman Bufet, had said he would take it if we could take it to the shop. I was struggling enough to handle the 3 dogs I did have on the lead so I sent the location to people who could help.
While Captain Caveman was on his way back from Son Doong, I was on my way for my first treat of the week. Kate was meeting me at Egehan restaurant, where her birthday gift to me was lunch and drinks. We had a lovely table outside by the pool in glorious sunshine and we were the only lunchtime guests. We had beers and a couple of beef dishes which were absolutely stunning. My meatballs were so tasty and Kate enjoyed her meal too. I was wearing winter clothes and was too hot, even the pool wasn’t that cold.
Next we went to Tez bar where we were later joined by Mark and we were discussing plans for my birthday. On my way back to Jamie’s villa, around 5.30pm, I called at the shop for some essentials, a little bit tipsy. Louisa was arriving tomorrow so I’d asked her what she might want so I could get it in, and I also took some vodka from home as she doesn’t like wine or beer. Here’s what I bought;
Migros Supermarket 1 Twix 13.95 Skimmed milk 15.50 Carrots 16.25 Toastie loaf 17.50 Crisps 18.45 Apple juice 22.00 1 tin of tomatoes 24.90
Total spent 128.55 lira (£5.66)
After shopping and walking Norman and Edna, it was time to take Charlie for his walk. This time we went a different route and ended up in Waterfall where I met up again with Mark and Kate. After a couple of drinks I went back home and sent the Bistro Blue menus out to the potential birthday party attendees so they could preorder. On the whole, prices had an average increase of 20%, which was normal but I expected some cancellations because of it. As my diet was on hold until after the celebrations I treated myself to a couple of pieces of the white Terry’s Chocolate Orange which Josh had brought me over from England.
All 3 dogs came back to bed with me on the morning of Friday 6th January. Even while I waited for the kettle to boil, Norman and Edna were halfway up the stairs and it was still too early for breakfast. They got on the bed together and there was some repositioning as Edna and Charlie both wanted to be nearest to me. In bed, while some of the dogs snored, I made some arrangements for my 50th birthday celebrations next week. It was likely to be bad weather and so I envisaged I might need to have a Plan B, just in case. I’d decided I fancied going for a nice meal and some drinks at Bistro Blue and was having conversations with the owners to arrange. I had to wait for them to reprice the menu as the prices were increasing for 2023, the new menus would be with me on Monday. I was really looking forward to having Louisa come over to celebrate my birthday with me but I did hope she wouldn’t be too bored – Dalyan can be very quiet in the winter time. I’d brought my tape measure with me to Jamie’s so I did my weekly figures; Bust & Hips remained the same, Waist +1cm, Both thighs and Right calf +0.5cm, Left calf still the same. I popped to the shop to get some provisions for a soirée I was hosting that evening. Here’s what I bought at Migros Supermarket: 880g chicken 67.00 400g tin of chopped tomatoes 24.90 1 carton of cream 18.90 Total spent 110.80 lira (£4.89)
I suspected that wasn’t far off the cost of the same things back in England, although I hadn’t been back for over a year. I put the ingredients for a Slimming World friendly curry in the slow cooker and brought my rice cooker over from one house to another. I had a bit of a tidy up then Vanessa popped over to join me on a dog walk.
Cheeky Charlie, obviously had us call in to Waterfall bar, which ended up being 2 drinks and Charlie getting lots of attention from his friends. When Vanessa and I got back to Jamie’s villa to pick up her bicycle, Ann and Nanny Kay were already on the patio waiting for me.
Once indoors and the dog fussing had been completed, we got the wine out. Ann had brought me a lovely birthday gift; a gift bag with Buzbağ red wine, Dairy Milk chocolate, M&Ms and a lovely purple bobble hat. Nanny Kay gave me a bottle of Tigre wine, which I also thought was a pre birthday gift as she also wasn’t coming to my birthday party on Wednesday. As Jamie would be away for my birthday, and Nanny Kay and Ann weren’t able to make it, we said we would do a night out at the end of January instead. I thought the curry turned out well and the ladies were impressed with my rice cooker rice. Charlie took a real liking to Nanny Kay and was loving being a bit cheeky with both our visitors. We had a lovely evening and I was quite merry by the time they left.
joloyolo 