Sheffield – 28th July

Captain Caveman left Mosborough very early on the morning of Monday 28th July to go back to Pontefract. He would work from home there and I was working from home at my parents. It was cold again and I checked my banking before work. I paid off my Turkish credit card in full and the monthly water bill came out at just 337.88 lira (£6.23). At 12, I broke off from work for a break and walked with my parents to the pharmacy, I then walked to the shops to see if they had any treats that I liked. They didn’t and I came back without buying anything. I had a sandwich for lunch and then cracked back on with work.
After work, I had nothing written in my diary and I’d not heard from any of the friends I’d not caught up with at the weekend yet. I had got a catch up pencilled in for next week, though, which I was looking forward to.
Before dinner, I met Amanda and Chris for a walk with their dogs, Ted and Bruno. We had a good walk and chatted about all things, including holidays. I even went back to their house for a cup of tea which made a nice change from the pub. I’d been drinking far too much alcohol on this trip and needed to get back on track a bit. In the evening, I worked on designing my Resort Experts business card and decided I would use QR codes to link to my website and also put my book on the back of it. I spoke to Captain Caveman who had booked my train ticket to come visit his new home in Ponte, tomorrow. He helped me with the QR code and I got my mom to test if she could access it, it worked!

Gratitude List
1. Having zero debt and my Turkish bills being paid
2. Dog walking with friends
3. Coming up with a design for my business card.

Sheffield – 27th July

I really enjoyed spending Sunday 27th July with Captain Caveman, Ma & Pa. I had tea and toast for breakfast followed by finishing off the butter chicken and rice from Friday night. We chilled out and I also managed to eat the M&S salad I still had in the fridge. In the afternoon, Captain Caveman and I went for a walk to the new Mosborough Co-op which had been the talk of the village. Mom had got a Co-op card so we took that but it turned out she needed a different coloured one. The Co-op was quite impressive and had lots of choice. Here’s what we bought with prices in pounds;

Co-op
Antihistamines 2.30
1 bottle of white wine 7.65
Total spent £9.95

When we got back, Ma had excelled herself with a roast chicken Sunday dinner with all the trimmings. Ma and I sat upstairs in the new comfy chairs with a glass of wine while it cooked and it was really nice with the sun streaming in. The dinner was fantastic and Captain Caveman was particularly impressed with the Yorkshire puddings and stuffing.
After eating, we drank wine in the living room and just relaxed after a boozy weekend. Captain Caveman was off back to Pontefract tomorrow, I would join him in a couple of days so he booked me my train tickets.

Gratitude List
1. A visit to Mosborough Co-op
2. Spending the day with my parents
3. A fantastic Sunday Dinner (I forgot to take photos).

Sheffield – 26th July

Saturday 26th July didn’t quite turn out as I’d imagined. Quite a few of our friends had said they would be at Tramlines festival over this weekend so we could meet up with them and I was looking forward to listening to live music. We hadn’t bothered getting tickets for the main events but we would just wander round the free stuff.
Mom excelled herself by doing a cooked breakfast for everyone in the morning. I had beans on toast with bacon, while the others had eggs and tomatoes with their’s. Ma & Pa weren’t up to coming in to town for Tramlines so they were going to stay home. My sister had said she might join us but then didn’t as they had overdone it last night. A few of the people who went to see Pulp last night had also overdone it so weren’t up for today.
We had arranged to meet Natalie and Paul in town and had chosen a pub on the edge of town, the Rutland Arms. It’s a cracking little pub with a great selection of beers and ciders, good staff and excellent music. We got the 1.30pm bus from Mosborough for £2.60 each and went straight to stock up on essential medication, here’s what we bought with prices in pounds;

Superdrug
Ibuprofen 0.39
Imodium 3.39
Fexofendine 8.99
2 packs of cystitis tablets 12.28
Total spent £25.05

Our next stop off was rather ill thought out and neither of us had realised it might have been a silly thing to do. As Captain Caveman had moved in to his new home without any crockery or cutlery he needed to buy a sharp knife. In fact he got 2 that were lovely and sharp with pink handles.

Nisbets
2 knives £12.71

With hindsight, walking round a town centre with entertainment on and an increased reputation for stabbings of late, carrying knives may have been a bit daft!
We met Natalie and Paul at the Rutland and had a couple of beers and a good chat. It had been quite a while since we’d all met up and, although we’d spoke on the phone, it was just great to meet in person. The chat flowed and we decided to walk in to town, nearer to where the action was. We wanted to meet up with Caz and the gang and also see Vanessa & Matt who were out with their friends too. Along the way we bumped in to a familiar face, another ex-Aviva colleague, Devon Francis, who was playing on stage later and we hoped to catch him. I messaged a few more friends to arrange where to meet and, although a few had sacked it off or were away, we had a plan to meet on Devonshire Green around 4.30pm.
I’m not entirely sure what happened but as we got to the entrance to the Devonshire Green music event, we noticed a queue and bags being searched – Captain Caveman was wary his new knives would be an issue, or be confiscated. We decided an impromptu beer in The Bath (another old pub) would be wise. They had some music on inside but we sat outside as the sun was shining. Here we met up with ex-Aviva colleague and friend, Sara (Killer), and her fella, Mark. We had another round while we were all introduced or reacquainted and by this time, Louisa was on her way to join us so we waited at The Bath. Captain Caveman was buying our rounds so I wasn’t really taking note of the prices, they were certainly cheaper than London.
We had such a laugh and Captain Caveman was on good form, enjoying being with old friends and meeting new ones. We even had a second Natalie join us when we sat at her table. Her friends had gone and she was on her own so we kind of got chatting.

By the time we were meant to be at the Devonshire Green we were already a bit merry and we decided we had better get a snack before we met the others. We tried to go to a pizza place but it was busy, Louisa had the idea to go to Cambridge Street Collective which is a food court style place with many different types of food. At first visit it can be a bit overwhelming as to what to choose but there is every type of food which makes it easier to please a group. Captain Caveman got on the app and ordered our food. I got the wrong end of the stick and thought he and I were sharing a pizza but he ordered Mexican for him and got me a slice of pizza from the top floor.
I finally put my hand in my pocket and went to the bar, here’s what I bought with the prices in pounds;

Cambridge Street Collective (bar)
1 rum and coke 6.25
1 pint of Guinness 6.70
2 pints of Abbeydale Heathen 11.50
2 pints of Aspall’s cider 12.00
Total spent £36.45

When my buzzer rang for me to collect the pizza I don’t mind saying I was pretty disappointed with it. It was a deep pan pepperoni (normally fine) slice but it was dripping in honey. I ate it but I wouldn’t have it again and Captain Caveman thought his burrito was nice. After that, I wondered if my stomach would tolerate the bus ride home and if buying only 1 pack of imodium earlier was a little optimistic. I was now drunk, tired, cold and bloated and needed my bed!
Unfortunately, we then had to say bye and go back to Mosborough but not before a cheeky visit to Sheffield train station for a toilet visit and some train tins. Here’s what we bought and prices in pounds;

M&S
1 porn star martini, 1 G&T, 1 limoncello spritzer (train tin deal) 8.50
2 large sausage rolls 1.20
Total spent £9.70

Our bus came at 9.50pm and it cost another £2.60 each to get home by which time we’d snaffled our sausage rolls but saved the train tins for home – we aren’t that wild!
When my parents asked how we’d enjoyed the bands and we replied that we hadn’t even seen one band, we did feel a bit foolish. We’d gone all that way for Tramlines, not even entered the Devonshire Green area and missed seeing bands and some of our friends!

Gratitude List
1. Breakfast by Mom
2. Meeting up with (some) friends in Sheffield
3. Sunshine and nice pubs.

Sevenoaks and London – 24th July

Claire had needed to be in London for work on Thursday 24th and, as luck would have it, so did Clare. This meant I could tag along and work from Claire’s office and sit with her daughter who was also tagging along in the hope of a shopping trip afterwards.
I worked in the morning and then we took the train in to London, walking past a couple of places of interest. We met Clare at a nice spot for lunch where we braved sitting outside. The restaurant already had prepared for all weather with sunglasses and blankets, and we ordered quickly so that people could get back to work. Both Clare and I ordered a duck salad, Claire had a rainbow salad and her daughter ordered a burger with some duck bao buns to share. The food was fantastic and the waiter very good, we even got an extra portion of bao buns due to a mix up which we hadn’t even noticed. Typically, my dishes had tons of chillies in so I picked them all out, Clare who had the same, and likes chillies, had far fewer in her food. Here’s what we paid, in pounds, keeping in mind it was in London;

D&Ms
1 pint of tap water (free)
1 Elderflower cordial 0.60
1 tonic 2.95
1 diet coke 4.10
1 Homemade lemonade 4.95
Duck Bao Buns 10.95
1 Rainbow salad with Halloumi 18.45
1 Cheeseburger 18.95
2 Duck salads 33.90
12.5% tip 11.86
Total spent £106.71

Given that I was staying with Claire and had not paid for anything, I paid for the 3 of us at £81.71 and Clare paid for her share. I found it hard to get my UK phone to work in the centre of London and when I mentioned it, my 2 friends said they had the same issue. I missed the Resort Experts weekly meeting and ironically I’d also missed a zoom session on ‘Manifesting for Sceptics’.

Next, we said bye to Clare and went to the other Claire’s work. We had to get a pass, go through security to go in and up to a very high floor. The canteen was fantastic and I had a hot chocolate which was better than most cafes. Claire’s daughter shared her dried mango with me while her mom was in a meeting and was really well behaved while I did a bit of work. As we were leaving the office, I got a bit of a shock when I bumped in to an ex-Aviva colleague – the one and only Dan Holmes who now works in International insurance. What a small world it is.
We walked back to London Bridge station, via buying a new jacket for Claire’s daughter, and then did a bit of food and drink shopping, here’s what we got with prices in pounds;

Holland & Barrett
Diablo Dark chocolate 2.99
2 packs Gin Gins 7.78
Total spent £10.77

Gin Gins are great for seasickness, which I suffer badly from, so I was stocking up.

M&S
Sour cream snacks 1.25
Apple & peanut butter snack 2.65
Sparkling water 3.10
Super nutty salad 3.20
Edamame beans 4.25
Tuna and sweetcorn salad 4.50
Prawn layered salad 5.25
Sushi selection 5.75
Cray fish salad 6.50
3 ‘Train Tins’ 8.50
Total spent £44.95

On the journey back to Otford, we got a bit excited as we had Train Tins – let me explain for the uninitiated; these are tins (or cans) of premixed drinks sold by supermarkets in train stations so that you can have a takeaway alcoholic beverage on your train ride! Genius idea and Marks & Spencers do a really good range at only £8.50 for 3. We chose a Pornstar Martini each and then shared a limoncello with sparkling wine. What we didn’t really account for was a pretty full train with commuters on and the fact that, while the child in our care dined on sushi, sliced apple and peanut butter washed down with a juice, we were downing train tins before 5pm like a couple of soaks!
It was my last night with Claire and we had a nice relaxing evening with our salads and nibbles for dinner. I’d been well and truly spoiled at Claire’s and was going to miss them all, even Dave the cat and Reg the dog!

Gratitude List
1. London lunch with some of the girls
2. Going in to Claire’s office
3. Discovering Train Tins

Sevenoaks – 20th July

While Captain Caveman was due back to London on the morning of Sunday 20th July, I was settling in to my new home in Otford, near Sevenoaks, for the next 5 nights. It was cold, I wish I’d brought more clothes and Captain Caveman bought me a train ticket up to Sheffield for Friday so that we could see family, friends and go to the Tramlines music festival. Claire drove us to the station so that I could pick up my tickets and Captain Caveman could get his train back to Barnes. I was both sad to say bye to Captain Caveman, after 9 days together, but excited to be spending some time with Claire and her family, plus Reg the dog!
Claire and I popped to Sainsbury’s where I wanted to pay for the shopping but she was having none of it as she grabbed some food for a Sunday roast. Of course we had to take a photo of us messing about at the scanner! I accompanied Claire and Reg to take her daughter to an activity in the afternoon, while Claire’s hubby, Mark, sorted out a roast dinner with help from his daughter who was on to Yorkshire pudding and cookies. The Go Active briefing was interesting and I even ventured in to the venue to go to the loo. While all the other parents got to chat on, Claire and I took off with Reg the dog for a walk. We’d just set off when it started to rain – thankfully I had left my raincoat there last time!

Back home, we had a nice cup of tea and sampled Mark’s daughter’s cookies – that girl is a talented chef! I was also treated to an amazing Sunday roast with pork and crackling, roast potatoes, plenty of fresh vegetables, gravy and the most amazing Yorkshires I’d had in a while! Of course, there was wine which then lead on to us having an absolutely hilarious and random evening! It started with the cheese slapping game – let me explain for those not familiar; 2 people take it in turns to ask each other questions about themselves and if they get a wrong answer they are slapped in the face with a cheese slice! It was my first time playing it with Claire’s daughter and my face hurt from laughing, everyone was surprised how many I got right and Reg the dog loved it when the cheese fell on the floor. There was much laughter and confusion when Claire did selfies on Snapchat and made us in to men – both of us decided we were much more attractive as fellas too! We played more games – this time there was Claire, Mark, the 2 daughters and me. It was so funny and I wasn’t as good at the next game.

I’m not sure who had the bright idea of getting the karaoke out (it was Claire!) at 9pm on a school night but – I loved it! It was so funny when I was being told off by a kid for not knowing the lyrics to a Taylor Swift song. Poor Mark was probably wondering what on earth he had let himself in for by agreeing to me staying!

Gratitude List
1. Spending time with Claire and her family
2. Roast Pork dinner with all the trimmings
3. Evening entertainment to rival a weekend at Butlins!

Photo Credit – some photos by Claire and Mark

Dalyan – 18th July

To celebrate Captain Caveman’s birthday on Friday 18th July I decided to get him out for a coffee and a croissant before work. We went to a local coffee shop called Hermanos, where I had a pain au chocolat with an earl grey tea and Captain Caveman had a plain croissant with a double espresso. I enjoyed mine but Captain Caveman wasn’t impressed. He popped to the shop while I drank my pot of tea and he bought a Hovis wholemeal loaf for £1.39 from Sainsbury’s.

We were back home and working before 9am and Captain Caveman had a very busy day ahead so we would celebrate his birthday tonight. I had a sandwich for lunch around 1pm and we finally finished work about 6pm. Captain Caveman’s Ma had been to get a cake so we all gathered in the garden. Captain Caveman’s Pa was in charge of beverages and opened a bottle of fizz to mark the occasion. I was surprised to find out that singing Happy Birthday wasn’t required. I was having none of that and we sang, even though Captain Caveman isn’t one for celebrating birthdays particularly. The carrot cake was delicious and the bubbles was such a lovely thing to do, sat in a sunny spot in the garden. I’d even popped on a dress to wear as Mike and Gill had booked us in at Omm, a Lebanese restaurant, for dinner.

We had a nice stroll to the restaurant, Barnes is such a lovely area of London. It was my first time visiting Omm and I was very impressed. The place was stylish, there was lots of staff and we had a nice table. We decided to share lots of sharing plates and some rather pleasant Lebanese rosé wine. The food was absolutely delicious and we all had a great time. At the end of the meal, Mike and I got chatting to the owner who was really friendly. It was another one of my new favourite places to eat now. Captain Caveman fancied a nightcap in the pub on the way home so we persuaded Ma & Pa to join us. It was gone 10pm when we got to the Coach & Horses where the men ordered pints, I had my usual red wine and Gill had already had sufficient so decided it was time to call it a night.
Despite it being a normal working day for Captain Caveman and I, his birthday and turned out to be rather lovely – thanks to his parents. Tonight was my last night with Captain Caveman for a week, as we were going to be spending time apart, after a rather eventful Saturday!

Gratitude List
1. Getting to spend Captain Caveman’s birthday with him
2. Cake, candles and celebrations with the family
3. An excellent birthday meal at Omm.

Photo credit – some photos by Captain Caveman & Gill

London – 15th July

On Tuesday 15th July I had a mission to do for a lady I hadn’t seen for a while. We used to go to the same Turkish class in Dalyan a few years ago and she lives in Scotland. I’d responded to a request for help on Facebook as she needed her passports picking up from London and I was in London, or certainly a lot nearer than she was. I decided to take the morning off work and head in to the city. I got the train to Tottenham Court Road and then walked towards the British Museum to collect the passports at a small office. I’d got all the relevant paperwork and permission so I picked up the passports in a straightforward manner. I was going to visit the British museum afterwards but it was still closed.

By 10.45am I had wandered down the very empty street to a Burger King where I got myself a cup of tea and a sausage sandwich for just under a fiver. I let my friend know I had her passports and they were safe, I would post them up to Scotland from Barnes tomorrow. I was going to go straight back to Barnes but the weather started to take a bit of a turn, it started to rain and was extremely windy. Luckily, I wanted to buy a strapless bra and some hand luggage/wheelie case so I headed back towards the tube station to Uniqlo and Primark.
Captain Caveman had booked me my flight back to Dalaman and we had chosen to return on the 11th of next month. As the rain came down and it got chilly I wondered if a month in England was wise. I would be on the same flight as Drew and I just had hand luggage so I wanted to get something more useful than what I had now. I browsed for ages but only managed to buy a dress for £20 in Uniqlo and try on far too many bras which didn’t fit! I didn’t manage to find any bras but I did buy some treats instead, here’s the info with prices in pounds;

Primark
1 pack of travel bottles 1.00
Zebra Print Flipflops 1.50
A black backpack 10.00
Total spent £12.50

The backpack had been reduced from £24 and had a separate laptop section which I was pleased with. It came in handy to put all my stuff in as I braved the weather on Oxford Street. By 1.20pm the rain had eased off and the panic buying of umbrellas had subsided. I’d messaged a friend who works in London to see if she was free for lunch. She wasn’t, but could meet around 3.30pm so I decided to find something free to do until then.

Captain Caveman had recommended places nearby that I could do some sightseeing at, which was good. It might not have been the best choice given the weather, but I’d picked the Post Building which has a Roof Terrace worthy of checking out. If you’ve not been, it’s worth a look if you’re in the area and the man on the security desk is very nice and helpful. I did have to show photo ID and put my backpack through a scanner which I guess is the norm in London now.
The rain stopped and although it was quite blowy at the top of the Post Building, the views were amazing. It’s only on the 9th floor but it feels higher, there’s nowhere to sit, it’s just a view point and some pretty plants. There is also a toilet which I, of course, took advantage of. After taking some photos and chatting to a lady from Grantham about Doris Stokes, I made my way back down and out to Oxford Street. It had been a nice way to spend half an hour and it’s free so even better. I’d even learned something about mailbag delivery and chutes!

I decided to make my way back to Waterloo, hoping to catch a quick meet up with my friend when she finished work. I managed to resist a full English breakfast, fish and chips or anything else that wasn’t healthy. When I got to Waterloo I was hungry so I grabbed a late lunch of my favourite Super Nutty Wholefood salad from M&S and a chocolate bar for £4.80.
I ate it in the station while keeping an eye out for pesky pigeons then I wandered up to the pub to meet Liz. I bought a pint of Inchs cider for £7.20 and sat at a table next to the toilets.
When Liz arrived it was so good to see her, even if it was just for an hour before she got her train home. We laughed, chatted, almost cried and made the most of our catch up. I completely forgot to get a photo too, which I regretted as soon as I got on my train back to Barnes.

I messaged Captain Caveman to say I was on my way back and he was just finishing a taxing day at work. When I got back, Captain Caveman looked tired and we decided to go for a walk to the Coach and Horses and the shops. Captain Caveman bought me a glass of red wine and he had a pint of beer which was around £15 for the two. My red wine was really nice and I asked to get a photo of the bottle for future reference.
We decided to buy stuff for tomorrow’s meal too as we had both got very busy work days coming up. Here’s what we bought at Marks and Spencer, prices in pounds;

M&S
Fusilli pasta 0.75
Garlic baguette 1.30
Pilau rice 2.20
Indian starters 4.25
Lamb Rogan josh 4.15
Chicken tikka 4.40
Raspberries and blackcurrants 5.25
4 cans of Guiness 5.75
1 bottle of red wine 6.00
2 bottles of fizz 13.00
Total spent £47.05

Captain Caveman made sausage and veg pasta for dinner which we had with garlic bread. I was conscious to try not to eat so much bread so I only had 3 pieces and Captain Caveman polished off the rest. By 9.15pm we were on the sofa in the lounge, trying not to fall asleep when the heavy rain came. I remembered that Captain Caveman had opened the upstairs bedroom window and went up to check it was closed in case rain could get in. I hadn’t seen rain for a bit so I stood and watched it, feeling quite chilly and wishing I’d brought some socks!

Gratitude List
1. Being able to help save time, money and stress for a friend by picking up her passports
2. Sightseeing and seeing Liz in London
3. Spending time with Captain Caveman after our busy days.

Barnes -12th July

Saturday 12th July was such a wonderful day which started with me waking up cold at 7am – I was still on Turkish time. I got weighed on the bathroom scales, more as a benchmark to see what I weighed on those scales and to track while I was in the UK. The scales said I was 1.3kg (2.9lb) lighter than I had been on Carol’s scales last Wednesday.
That meant I was only 1.1kg (2.4lb) over target and I knew that I was going to be enjoying quite a few treats that weren’t Slimming World friendly while I was in England. Captain Caveman made me bacon sandwiches for breakfast and I had a cup of tea. Shockingly, it wasn’t Yorkshire tea but I still drank it. We had a trip out to the Farmer’s Market and the supermarket where I got my first glimpse of a couple of things; 1) how expensive things were going to be compared to Dalyan and 2) how much more choice there would be available to me. Here’s what we bought with the prices in pounds;

Farmers Market
1 Black pudding
1 Sausage roll
1 Scotch Egg
1 Pork Belly
Total spent £15

M&S
Milk 0.75
1 bag of salad 1.70
Cream cheese 2.50
Sourdough 2.65
Shropshire blue cheese 2.75
2 Avocados 3.70
Red Leicester cheese 3.80
250g Raspberries 3.90
Total spent £21.75

Today was an important date in the Barnes calendar as it was the day of the Barnes Fair. We’d planned my trip especially so that I could experience it for the first time. Luckily, I had arrived in the heatwave of England as all of my UK friends had been warning me about. I’d only brought summer clothes, sandals and flipflops with high expectations of enjoying the English summer while escaping the heat in Dalyan.
By 1pm we had started to browse the stalls of the fantastic Barnes Fair and I had spotted a Zebra stool that I thought would make a great present for a friend, who’s birthday BBQ we were going to next weekend. We ummed and ahhed about the logistics of taking it on a train and whether it would even fit with their design of the new house and decided to leave it for now.
We wandered round the various stalls which were really good but I was conscious not to buy anything I didn’t need. We did stumble upon a gift that was easier to carry and bought artisan chilli jam products from a lovely lady at Chilli Porter. While Captain Caveman took the stuff back to the house, I perused the list of stalls and took a photo of the map in case I got lost. I spoke to one of the organisers and volunteered Captain Caveman for the hold a plank competition. Upon his return, Captain Caveman was not up for the competition and we went off to the Sun Inn pub for a lunchtime beverage. Here 2 pints were £15 and everything was being served in plastic cups because of the event. We shared a table with a few interesting people and the atmosphere was very nice.
Back home, I posted some photos on the family WhatsApp group as I was so impressed with the fair. It was very warm for London and we had a bite to eat, some water and some raspberries at home. I then fell asleep on the sofa (perhaps from too much excitement)!

At 5pm, Captain Caveman woke me up and we went back to Barnes Fair for another look around. We wanted to find certain stalls on our list and end at the Brown Dog. We didn’t find the Brown Dog stall so settled for the Wimbledon Brewery one. I chose a glass of pink fizz for £8.50 but they didn’t have any left. There was champagne for £11 but I was reluctant to pay that much to drink it from a plastic flute, so I didn’t bother. Captain Caveman ordered a pint of SW19 for £7.50 and had to pay an extra £2 for the plastic cup deposit. I was a bit shocked by this and even more surprised when they couldn’t give the refund at the end as they had no process in place. It was getting a bit busy, lots of families with prams and dogs and it was actually a bit sweaty.

We decided to stroll round to the Coach and Horses for a pint, still £14 for 2, but served with a better service, a friendlier attitude and an apology for their plastic cups. Next, we wandered round to the Brown Dog where it was only £12 for 2 pints, in glasses, and I had a rhubarb beer which was great.
Back home, Captain Caveman made pasta for dinner, which should have been last night’s meal. It was good but I was so tired that as soon as I got on the sofa, I fell asleep.

Gratitude List
1. Barnes Fair
2. Sunny England
3. Having fun with Captain Caveman.

Dalyan – 9th July

It was my last weigh day for at least a couple of weeks on Wednesday 9th July. I was feeling quite confident that I would have lost weight, especially as I had not touched a drop of alcohol for 5 days. I did my measurements and had lost 1cm from my bust and waist and lost 3cm off my hips. I was pleased with that as I was 2cm under target on my bust and only over by 1cm on both waist and hips. When I got on the home scales, I was disappointed to find I had put 0.15kg (0.3lb) on. Hopefully Carol’s scales would be kinder at Fat Club later. I shoved the ingredients for a chicken fajita dish in the slow cooker, which would be ready for mid afternoon.
I worked until midday when I was learning something new (again). I had decided to join a free zoom call about Substack. I’d only just found out about this new platform which is ideal for writers and I wanted to find out more. The session with Ade went well and I got a lot out of it, I decided to wait until I had attended the next session before setting up my Substack.
I carried on with work and stopped to go to Fat Club at 3pm. To my further disappointment, I had put on 0.6kg (1.3lb) so I wasn’t too pleased. On the way back home I popped in to Migros where I bought several packs of sweets and chocolate to restock my collection. I bought 7 items for 225.95 lira (£4.18) and decided I would pack some in my hand luggage for my trip to the UK this weekend. I quickly had a chicken fajita wrap, then I worked until almost 7pm. I went to meet friends at Kaunos tea garden, which was nice and I paid just 40 lira (74p) for a lemon soda.
Captain Caveman had wanted to have a call but I had to say I’d ring when I got home. I finally got to chat with him at 11.15pm so we didn’t really talk much.

Gratitude List
1. Losing centimetres
2. Substack training
3. An evening out with friends but no alcohol.

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Dalyan – 7th & 8th July

Norman and I were awake early on Monday 7th July, both needing a pee. The temperature at that time of day was much cooler and comfortable. After tea and toast it was time to crack on with Resort Experts work for the day. I often get friend requests on Facebook from people I’ve not met and don’t know but this morning I got one from a lady called Liz. I never add people I don’t at least know, even if we haven’t met in person. We had a friend in common from Rhodes and I recognised her from posts on a group I’m in. However, when I looked at her Facebook profile, the last 3 posts were saying it was a fake/scam profile and not to share posts. I messaged the woman to ask what was going on and she seemed real and fairly normal. I still didn’t accept the friend request though.
By 9am, Norman was fast asleep and snoring away again.
At midday I attended a webinar session with Lisa Johnson where she was sharing some thoughts and knowledge which I thought might help me. It was only for 30 minutes but was useful.
Jamie and Drew arrived back a little earlier than expected, I went back to Fire Opal as I had another webinar booked in. This next one was some training with a lady called Katrina Young who was delivering a session on AI. Primarily on keeping ChatGPT in check, powerful prompts, scaling up a business and automating certain tasks using AI.
It was interesting, although most of it went above my head. I took lots of notes though.
After the training, I put some of what I’d learned in to place and it was really good. I just needed more practice and more time to do it, now.

Gratitude List
1. Norman being so easy to look after
2. Insights from Lisa Johnson
3. Learning more about AI from Katrina Young.

I didn’t get up until 8.30am on Tuesday 8th July and then I got on with writing content for my various social media pages. I am an agent for a supplier called Classic Collection and they had some great deals on for city breaks as well as summer holidays so I got involved in searching those. I’d seen a couple of city breaks that I liked the look of myself, including a 4 star mini break in Nantes, France, in August for £199 and a 3 star weekend in Krakow, Poland, in January for £125. They also had some luxury 5 Star holidays in Greece which looked fantastic. After working until 3pm and not having had any lunch, I decided to take a break and walk around the town, calling at the shops. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Green Peppers 13.99
Mentos 20.95
Haribo jellies 22.45
Biscuits 32.95
Salt & Vinegar crisps 48.95
Pasta sauce 52.95
2 croissants 69.90
Cooked chicken pieces 69.95
Total spent 332.09 lira (£6.15)

Balcı Pharmacy
2 packs Cerazette 658.36 lira (£12.19)

Parlak Bakery
1 loaf 15.00
1 cheese salad sandwich 60.00
Total spent 75.00ira (£1.39)

I ate the sandwich for lunch and then continued with my to do lists until 8.30pm. I had chicken pesto pasta for dinner and then an early night.

Gratitude List
1. Looking at city breaks
2. Shopping and some fresh air
3. Easy meals to save time.

Dalyan – 6th July

Jamie, Drew and Nanny Kay were off to Kuşadası on Sunday 6th July for a couple of days. They were staying in the same hotel Captain Caveman and I had stayed in on our last visit, Sunday Beach at Ladies Beach. I was in charge of Norman and I arrived at 8.30am, to a snoring Norman who didn’t even hear me come in. As it was a lovely sunny day, I decided to plonk myself down by the pool before it got too hot. When Norman woke up he came over for some attention and a lay on the sunbed for a couple of minutes.
It was strange there only being Norman, now that Edna had passed away, and I felt a little bit sad. A white feather came down between me and Norman on the sunbed and, if you believe in things like that, it might have symbolised Edna.
We moved in to the shade and got some water then I had mushroom and pepper pasta for lunch.

When it got too hot, Norman took himself off for an afternoon nap on the sofa, in the AC. By 6pm I decided I would have a swim. Usually, when I’m at Jamie’s, I don’t go in the pool but it was very hot today. I waited until the sun had gone in to take Norman for a walk and I’d thought we might go to Lukka and have a drink there. Norman had other ideas and, after a walk almost as far as Lukka, he decided he wasn’t up for socialising and wanted to go back home. I hadn’t brought anything over for dinner so I decided to have another walk, without Norman, and get some food on the way home. I called at the shop and bought the following, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Milk 31.25
125g Blueberries 49.95
Total spent 81.20 lira (£1.50)

I’d intended to buy something to cook for dinner but it was already 8.30pm and I couldn’t be bothered.

Sheche Burger was the last place I walked past on my way home so I couldn’t resist. I decided to order the original burger with french fries and a homemade lemonade to take out. My dinner cost 500 lira (£9.26) and was really tasty for a treat, which I enjoyed more than I thought I would.
At bedtime, Norman was keen to come with me so he slept on my bed – snoring contentedly away.

Gratitude List
1. A bit of a rest day with only minimal work done
2. Sheche Burger for dinner
3. Norman, he’s just so cute.

Dalyan – 4th & 5th July

Friday 4th July was my last day with Lady C, it was also just one week until I would be back in the UK. Penny and Phil were flying back tonight but didn’t land until almost 4am tomorrow. I spent the day working and making sure Lady C was ok. I had a sandwich then walked Lady C, she was fine and didn’t seem bothered from the dog issue yesterday. When we got back, she let me check out where the other dog had tried to bite her and there was a bit of a cut. I messaged Penny to let her know and described which street it had happened near but I had no idea where the young boy and the dogs lived.
It was a pretty quiet day really.

Gratitude List
1. Last day with Caramel
2. It being a Friday
3. Being ready for Penny & Phil’s return.

On Saturday 5th July I had woken up early, my care of Lady C had come to an end and I’d arranged to meet Jamie.
The neighbour opposite had closed the stair door so there were no more cat shit incidents, which was nice!
I had a curry for lunch and then went to the shops to get some essentials and restock up on wine. It had slipped my mind to check if there was still wine in the fridge after the comings and goings of the week. Here’s what I spent with prices in lira;

A101 Supermarket
Washing up sponges 22.50
Frozen berries 179.00
Total spent 201.50 lira (£3.73)

Yaman Büfe
3 bottles of wine 709 lira (£13.13)

After more curry for dinner, I walked over to Penny and Phil’s with the wine and we had a bit of a catch up. Lady C was happy to have her owners back too.
Back home, I had a much needed early night after doing the washing.

Gratitude List
1. A quick catch up with Jamie
2. Being home to a cat shit free apartment
3. Home made curry from the freezer.

Dalyan – 1st & 2nd July

July was going to be an exciting month!
On Tuesday 1st July I updated each of my To Do Lists (I have 3; Resort Experts, My Book stuff and Personal). I was conscious that I only had 11 more days in Turkey before I would fly to the UK to spend time with Captain Caveman, who would be celebrating his birthday and moving in to a new home. I had not yet booked my return flight as I wasn’t sure if I would get a good price to travel back in the school holidays or not, if I stayed more than a couple of weeks.
While I drank water and waited for Lady C to wake up I checked how my blog had done for last month. I was pleased to see it had 24% more views than the month before and was mainly being read in the UK, Turkey and the USA. Unfortunately, Vietnam readers were now way down the list and no longer in the top 10 so I did want to try to increase that again in July. It had been a year since I was there and over 6 months since Captain Caveman was there – we missed it!
After doing some Resort Experts work in the morning, I spoke to Captain Caveman who was at his parents in London. There was a heatwave and he’d had to sleep downstairs so he was preparing me for a hot summer in England.
At lunch time I had some soup and looked at a post from my colleague in Italy, which was to help us have a happy July with 31 daily prompts. When I had my tea break at 3pm, I noticed Lady C had chosen to lay on the hot floor outside to sunbathe! I let her know that at 4pm we had visitors coming; Darcy, the dog, was getting dropped off while her owner went out with a friend. And my friend, Bev, was coming over for a cup of tea and a chat.
When Darcy arrived, she ran in to the conservatory and did a wee with excitement on the sofa and the floor. Lady C was not impressed by the little pup and was not sympathetic when Darcy started to sneeze multiple times. Poor little Darcy kept sneezing and wouldn’t stop so I picked her up to check her nose. She had a bit of a flower or plant stuck up her nostril so I had to get it out with my little finger nail. Bev arrived, after I’d cleaned the wee up and we decided wine would be a better choice so we had a couple of glasses each – Fat Club weigh in tomorrow was not looking promising! It was nice to catch up and we nattered on about all sorts.
Bev didn’t stay too long and I fed both dogs in separate rooms as they were ready for dinner. It was after 8pm when it was cool enough for both dog’s paws on the pavements and they walked well together. I had a mushroom pasta about 9pm for dinner and then settled down with the dogs. I couldn’t watch TV as the TTnet still wasn’t up to it so I watched something on my phone. When it was time for Darcy to be collected, she was already snoozing away, next to me on the sofa. Lady C was happy when Darcy left as she does like to be the only dog in the house.

Gratitude List
1. Cute dogs
2. Busy with Resort Experts
3. Seeing Bev for the first time in a while.

My measurements were not good on Wednesday 2nd July. I’d put 1cm on my bust, my waist had remained the same but I’d put 3cm on my hips (that will be the fab Bakewell tart from Ela Bakes)!!! It didn’t look good for Fat Club weigh-in and I would have to wait until 3pm to find out my weight. I worked up until then and decided to walk, so that at least I was getting some exercise. It was very hot out and I arrived at Fat Club a bit sweaty. I was gobsmacked to find I had lost 0.9kg (2lb) and it made my day! There was a bit of a grumble at the group as the drinks prices had gone up. A small water had gone from 25 lira (46p) to 50 lira (92p) and that was the shock of the day. I didn’t think it was too bad to sit in a nice hotel and drink a cold water which they supplied a glass and lots of ice for, but doubling the prices was a bit of a surprise. Usually, each July there is a general price increase in shops anyway so I was expecting it.
I went straight back to work and had leftover mushroom pasta for dinner – no alcohol. Once it cooled down I took Lady C out for her walk and she was happy to be let off the lead for a little bit on the back paths.
At 9pm I decided to pop to the shops to get something for dinner tomorrow night. Here’s what I bought, prices in lira;

Şevikoğlu Supermarket
Onions 5.21
Peppers 8.22
Bread 15.00
1kg chicken breast 144.80
Total spent 173.23 lira (£3.27)

I meant to buy more wine but I couldn’t be bothered to walk all the way to Yaman Büfe and the Şevikoğlu was more expensive.
I had an early night and didn’t even bother with any wine today, conscious I only had one more weigh-in before my UK trip.

Gratitude List
1. Losing weight when I didn’t expect it
2. Walking with Lady C off the lead
3. A no alcohol day on a Wine Wednesday.

Dalyan – 26th June

It was pretty hot already on Thursday 26th June as I walked to Queen Accommodation Services’ office to meet Yusuf. He had agreed to show me a 2 bedroom property that had just come on sale for £170,000. There were people staying there so we couldn’t go in until tomorrow but I had a friend who wanted to know what the location was like and might be interested in buying it. They were concerned that it might be a bit too near to town and the petrol station so I agreed to do a reccy of the outside of the property.

Yusuf took me for a quick spin on one of the new 3 wheel electric scooters that they have for rent. They are about £15 per day depending on how long you rent them out for and were really handy to nip about in the heat. Queen also do money exchange now too which is handy if you’re up that way or the bank/jewellers were closed.

Video of us on the 3 wheel electric scooter

I liked the property location straight away and it was actually on a quiet street far enough away from the petrol station and main road. The nearest restaurant would be Olivia’s and it was easy walking distance to bars.
I took videos and photos so I could send them to my friend but I also liked the look of the place myself. Captain Caveman was not thinking of selling his apartment at Fire Opal at all, but I did think that if my friend wasn’t interested, I would mention it to him. I also made a second appointment to look inside the property tomorrow morning.

On the way back home, I called at the shops and was already feeling the heat a bit. Here’s what I bought, prices in lira;

BIM supermarket
2 Dido chocolate bars 29.00
Naan breads 67.50
Kitchen rolls 79.00
Total spent 175.50 lira (£3.31)

Parlak Bakery
1 loaf 15
1 simit 15
1 croisant 40
Total spent 70 lira (£1.32)

I sent my friend the videos and photos of the property for sale and they were still unsure and would wait until I went back tomorrow to view inside. By midday it was 36°C in Dalyan and about to get to 20°C in Sheffield. I hoped it would warm up in the UK before my visit. I worked for the rest of the day, including have a few work calls and meetings.

I finished just before 5pm, which was very early for me, as I had been invited to a friend’s house for dinner. Penny & Phil had invited me to join them and their friends, Karen & Andy (parents of Darcy the dog), for dinner. I took a bottle of wine and some Turkish delight over and we ate a lovely lasagne with garlic bread and salad, which had been made by Ela Bakes. I loved the meal, and ate quite a lot – it tasted really good. For dessert there was also a massive Bakewell tart which was amazing!

We had a lovely night and I even got some leftover lasagne and Bakewell tart to take home, which was very much appreciated. Penny tried to insist I get a taxi home but I walked back, passing a cat sat on a motorbike with a carpet over it. It was almost midnight by the time I got home – on a school night, too!

Gratitude List
1. Whizzing about in a 3 wheel electric scooter with Yusuf
2. Finding a great Dalyan property for a friend
3. A fab dinner with friends, trying Ela Bakes for the first time.

Dalyan – 24th & 25th June

Tuesday 24th June was day 3 of not leaving the house or spending any money. It felt strangely therapeutic. I saw an ex Turkish Class member and Facebook friend had posted on Facebook needing someone in London. She needed passports picking up which were going to cost £400 to have couriered so I messaged to say I could help if she could wait until I went there in a couple of weeks time. I also looked at flights to come back in time for Nanny Kay’s 80th birthday celebrations and they were now getting a bit pricier. I ate beans on toast for breakfast around 11.30am after sorting out my social media posts for the day and dealing with a couple of enquiries.
I’d ate cauliflower and cashew nut soup for lunch with wholemeal bread and then got back on with all my tasks. I stopped at 6pm to warm up some sausage casserole, not realising I didn’t have any potatoes in the house. By 8.30pm I was in bed with a facemask on and feeling really tired. I did a Facebook quiz to find out which country suited me to live in and wasn’t surprised to find it was Japan. I reposted the quiz so that others could have a go but it seemed a few people couldn’t get it to work. It was a shame as I wondered if any of the Dalyan Dwellers would have got somewhere other than Turkey as their answer. Tomorrow it would be weigh day and time to face Carol’s scales after indulging too much while Captain Caveman was here.

Gratitude List
1. Lovely home made food
2. Another zero spend, and zero alcohol day
3. Getting stuff done.

Of course the scales weren’t going to show a loss on Wednesday 25th June, after all the eating and drinking I’d done while Captain Caveman was here. It wasn’t surprising that my home scales said I had put on 0.5kg (1.1lb) this week. My measurements, though, showed no changes at all, which was good. While working in the morning I tried to help a friend out by sharing her post about a raffle to raise money for a local charity and unfortunately I didn’t really look at it too closely. I later noticed I was posting something that is illegal in Turkey, promoting alcohol, so I had to mess about taking it down but join the local charity page to share a version of it. I didn’t have time to eat lunch and headed to Fat Club via the bank a bit late. To my surprise, I was only showing a gain of 0.2kg (0.4lb) on Carol’s scales but I think I had been lucky really. I was now a whopping 2.7kg (6lb) over target and I only had 2 more Fat Club weigh-ins before I went back to the UK.
After Fat Club I popped to buy 2 more AC remotes but they hadn’t got them in yet and said to come back on Tuesday. I called at the shop and bought the following, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
1 plastic bag 0.50
Haribo jellies 22.45
Cheese spread 29.90
Biscuits 31.95
Bin bags 44.95
Batteries 74.95
Mushrooms 79.95
Toilet roll 108.95
Wholemeal wraps 110.00
4 Quark 116.00
Mouthwash 124.95
Total spent 744.55 lira (£14.05)

I went back home and did a couple of work related tasks before doing a few reviews on Facebook for places Captain Caveman and I had enjoyed on his visit. It followed with comments of people complaining about the price of things, yet again, on and off-topic point! Dalyan really is not that expensive in comparison to lots of other places and it got on my nerves that I was only trying to put nice reviews on not argue with people on the internet! I’m all for saving money, obviously, but arguing about the prices on a nice review is, in my opinion, not good form.
I noticed that the Dalyan Şarküteri had some offers on until the end of the month so I popped out around sunset to grab some imported products. I bought the following, prices in lira;

Dalyan Şarküteri
1 tin Heinz baked beans 65.00
1 tin Coconut milk 75.00
250g Lurpak butter 220.00
Total spent 360 lira (£6.79)

I spoke to Captain Caveman who was very busy working hard in London so didn’t have time to ask how I was, but I’d got used to that now. I lit my citronella candle put loads of Maizie Moo repellent on and treated myself to a White Russian (the cocktail) on the balcony. A couple of jays came to visit and I didn’t end up eating dinner of sausage casserole with potatoes and white cabbage until 10.30pm. Tomorrow I had another busy day as I had agreed to view a house for sale for a friend.

Gratitude List
1. Weigh day being better than expected
2. Being able to afford some shopping
3. White Russians on the balcony.