Dalyan – 22nd February

Our first day together on Sunday 22nd February was lovely. Captain Caveman and I had been due to go on a boat trip but, due to the water levels and it not being safe for getting on and off the boat, it had been postponed. This meant we had a free day and I needed to make sure that Captain Caveman didn’t regret not having arranged a Sunday Walk. We decided we would go for food at Kefal tea gardens then have our own short walk, and a leisurely Sunday.
I took my new phone to try out the camera but I didn’t yet have a case for it so needed to be super careful. I took a selfie and the quality of the camera was good, you could see every wrinkle!
Our first stop on the walk was to check out the river levels outside Tapa bar. This was the highest I’d seen it – Captain Caveman and I had to walk round the road way to the Kefal tea gardens as, even with wellies on, it was too deep. When we arrived at Kefal the sun was out and they had the windows open in the indoor area. Here’s what we had and the prices in lira;

Kefal tea gardens
2 Turkish teas 50.00
1 cheese toastie 150.00
1 Turkish breakfast 360.00
Total spent 560 lira (£9.49)

The food was really nice but my Turkish breakfast was so big that Captain Caveman had to help me eat it.

After breakfast we had a meander, we called in to see Jamie and Norman and had quite a walk around Dalyan while the sun was out. As it was a Sunday, there was nowhere open to exchange currency so I paid £100 cash in to my Turkish bank and moved it across so we could draw out some cash to spend. By 3.30pm we were treating ourselves to an alcoholic beverage in the sun outside Public bar. Captain Caveman ordered an Efes for 190 lira (£3.22) and I went mad with a pint of shandy for 220 lira (£3.73). While Captain Caveman didn’t flinch at the costs, I thought it was a little more than I would usually pay for 2 beers but nevertheless, I enjoyed it – my first beer of 2026. It was the first time we had visited this bar and I liked the interior, there were quite a few Turkish visitors too which was good to see.
Next we went to the Kaunos tea gardens where we met a friend for a bit of a chat. We paid the bill and here’s what we had with prices in lira:

Kaunos Tea Gardens
1 water 20.00
1 lemon soda 40.00
1 Tuborg beer 200.00
Total spent 260 lira (£4.41)

It was gone 6pm by the time we left the tea gardens and it was getting a little nippy so we decided to call in to Waterfall bar to say hello. We had a couple of drinks in there and had texted friends who we thought were calling in, but they didn’t arrive. The bill came to 600 lira (£10.17) for 2 wines and 2 beers then we walked towards home, shivering by this time as it had turned cold.
We decided to eat dinner at Çağrı, an old favourite of ours. Here’s what we had with the prices in lira;

Çağrı
1 large water 50
1 Lahmacun 180
1 Mixed salad 200
1 Efes Malt 200
1 red wine 250
2 lentil soups 300
1 pide 320
Tıp 200
Total spent 1700 lira (£28.81)

The food was fantastic and the service super quick, the perfect end to a boozy and relaxing day together. We’d spent around £60 between the 2 of us in just one day and we did comment how good value that was compared to what we’d have spent in the UK on a Sunday, out and about.

Gratitude List
1. A day off with Captain Caveman in Dalyan
2. Having a super new phone that worked, even if I didn’t know how to use it yet
3. Great food and drinks.

Dalyan – 20th & 21st February

It was my last full day and night on Friday 20th February before Captain Caveman’s arrival in Dalyan tomorrow. This meant that I had a to do list as long as my arm to try to get everything done today. I was aiming to take Sunday off so that I could spend the day with Captain Caveman and some friends on a boat trip. I finally finished for the day at gone 9pm and made myself some pesto pasta for a quick dinner. I didn’t leave the house so it was another zero spend day but tomorrow I would go to the market and get some shopping ready for Captain Caveman.

Gratitude List
1. Looking forward to seeing Captain Caveman
2. Working hard to get everything done
3. Pasta.

The day that Captain Caveman was flying to Dalyan was finally here on Saturday 21st February. This would be his first visit of the year and wasn’t quite the holiday we would’ve liked as he still needed to work as usual while he was here; Monday to Friday – 12 noon to 8pm, which was 9am to 5pm UK time. He’d stayed in the Tribe hotel at Manchester airport last night, so it meant he could have a good breakfast before his flight took off at 1.45pm.
Before 9am I had spent an hour working, and could hear the builders at the apartment downstairs. The Aussies were replacing their balcony railings with metal ones and I was surprised to see them working in the rain.

I ventured over to see Jamie & Norman who were going to the market. Jamie gave me a lift there as it was raining again. I spent less than £3 this week as I had some fresh veg left at home. Here’s what I got with prices in lira;

Market
Stall 1
Carrots 20 lira (34p)
Stall 2
Potatoes, onions & garlic 45 lira (76p)
Stall 3
Apples and oranges 65 lira (£1.10)
Stall 4
Peppers 30 lira (51p)
Total spent 160 lira (£2.72)

After a quick mooch round the weekly market, Jamie dropped me off in town. I still had items on my shopping list that I’d not managed to get and I wanted to stock up, ready for Captain Caveman. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

A101 Supermarket
Mints 22.50
Biscuits 25.00
Crisps 45.00
Wipes for glasses 49.50
Cherry tomatoes 49.50
Wraps 90.00
Kaymak 92.50
12 toilet rolls 105.00
Total spent 479.00 lira (£8.12)

Parlak Bakery
Bread 15 lira (26p)

I put the shopping away, had a tidy up and cleaned the house before deciding to tot up my total spending for February, up to today!
I’d started February with £91 left from January and it had been a self imposed challenge to see if I could live off that for the first 3 weeks of February. If you’re an avid reader you will know that because of a planned night out with friends for Valentine’s, I’d almost spent it after 2 weeks in. So, I did a cheeky cheat and isolated that weekend’s splurge and carried on to see if I could still spend up to £91 plus the £37 extravagant weekend. It wasn’t easy, especially as each time I went to the shops, there were a few items I couldn’t get hold of. This meant that when I went again, it was tempting to buy extra treats that weren’t essential.
Anyway, here’s the results with the night out in;
Week 1 spent £25.97
Week 2 spent £57.72
Week 3 spent £38.63
Total £122.32, which meant I overspent by £31.32! If I took the night out from week 2 where I spent £37.29 extra, my total was only £20.34. which would mean a total of £85.03 and being under by £5.97. Of course, I had cheated and didn’t achieve it but I know I would’ve given up and spent more had I not isolated that blip. I think it’s still impressive to have spent less than £41 per week for 3 weeks running. It also showed me that it was possible to live in Dalyan cheaply. Lucky for me, Captain Caveman was bringing cash with him and we were going to be less frugal for the last week of February.
After doing a bit of work on an itinerary for Vietnam, I had a curry for dinner and then decided to open a bottle of red wine while I waited for Captain Caveman to arrive.

Captain Caveman’s flight was due to land at Dalaman airport at 9pm, however, it took off 39 minutes late. We’d already agreed for me not to save or cook Captain Caveman any dinner but we would have some drinks with cheese and biscuits instead. At 10pm I got a message from Sonuç, our airport pick up driver, to say they were just leaving Dalaman now. Captain Caveman had only an underseat bag so he was through quickly once they had landed. He arrived bearing gifts of a brand new Oppo phone for me, 2 boxes of solid coconut, 2 vacuum bags with the stuff I left in London and new electric toothbrush heads. I was so excited to have a new phone as my old one was playing up more and more – I had hoped to get one the next time I was back in Vietnam. I cried with happiness and was so overwhelmed as it was better than my existing model. He’d also treated himself to a nice bottle of Rakı for £26 at Duty Free.
We had a glass of wine and then, as it was Saturday night about 11pm, we decided to head to Sofra bar. I was surprised to find it was empty apart from a couple of people who left not long after we got there. Captain Caveman had his first Efes Malt and I had a red wine, they went down so well that we had a second. Our bill came to 660 lira (£11.19) and Captain Caveman was very happy with that price. I knew I would find spending money so freely this week a bit of a change, after my attempts to live off less than £5 per day!
Back home, I prepared a cheese board and we had some wine with it. Captain Caveman seemed to react to the wine here in Turkey and I think it’s because it’s got sulphites in. We finally called it a night at 2.20am so it’s a good job the planned boat trip for tomorrow had been postponed due to unsafe water levels.

Gratitude List
1. Shopping
2. A new phone
3. Captain Caveman arriving in Dalyan.

Dalyan – 15th February

There was a bit of excitement on Sunday 15th February as the flights for Poland and Brussels were going to be booked today. Captain Caveman had already said he would book our two and our good friend, Louisa, was going to be booking hers as we had invited her to join our adventure. Captain Caveman was going to Poland for 5 days of Bridge so this meant Louisa and I could be off exploring without him during some of the trip and then in Belgium we planned to introduce her to the Brussels Beer Festival and our favourite kebab place. I was so excited that I went for a walk outside not realising how bad the floods had been, the Dalyan river was now starting to overflow. The worry among the Dalyan Dwellers, who like to drink in Tapa bar, was if they would still be able to get in the front door! I stopped to take some photos, my phone was still playing up and kept deleting stuff but today I managed to get quite a few that saved. I always say hello to the street dogs who I’ve called Bowie and Dexter, they are friendly and love a little stroke.
I decided to go to the shops, despite already having almost blown the budget by spending £37 on food and drink out this weekend. So that I wouldn’t throw in the towel on Frugal February, I cheated a bit and isolated that particular expense to see if, without that, I would still be able to save money. Otherwise I knew I’d just admit I’d failed and not continue to be frugal.
I took the day off while it had stopped raining and wanted to buy some things in readiness for Captain Caveman arriving next weekend. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Onions 6.33
Bleach 45.95
6 Eggs 59.95
Olives 61.50
Wholemeal bread 99.50
1.5kg whole chicken 124.24
3 Quark 167.85
Mouthwash & shower gel pack 259.95
Total spent 825.27 lira (£13.99)

Parlak Bakery
Bread & Simit 30 lira (51p)

I’d not heard back from Captain Caveman about the flights so I set up a Facebook group with him, Louisa and I so that he could post any instructions on which flights to book. I’d already let him know that I would be meeting a friend at 2pm at the tea gardens and wouldn’t have WiFi. I spent less than 50 lira (85p) on tea and we had a good chat. My friend had organised a boat trip for next Sunday which we were going on and she was looking forward to seeing Captain Caveman.
It was 5.30pm when I left and walked home to see a load of activity in the Poland/Belgium group chat, plus a missed call from Louisa. Nevertheless, it was all booked! As I scrolled through the updates and screenshots I still wasn’t convinced we were all on the same flights but Captain Caveman and Louisa seemed to have it all under control. I was really looking forward to it, especially as this would be my first visit to Poland.
While I chatted to Louisa I prepared a Sunday dinner, she was also excited and had been to Poland before but not the Beer Festival. We laughed as I think Captain Caveman had been a bit vague on his plans for me to be a Bridge Widow, although it had all worked out well now that I had a friend to keep me from moaning at him for playing too much Bridge! My Sunday dinner was lovely and after that, I spoke to Captain Caveman who was also excited to have got our trip booked. This time next week he would be here in Dalyan with me.

Gratitude List
1. A morning walk
2. Catching up with a friend at the tea gardens
3. Finalising the Poland/Belgium plans.

Dalyan – 8th & 9th February

On Sunday 8th February Norman’s tummy was much better and he’d not had any mishaps, which I was grateful for. I did some work first then did breakfast and tea. I worked all day and just had a warmed up sweet and sour chicken with rice for a late lunch/early dinner.
It was now less than 2 weeks untill Captain Caveman was arriving. Even though it was a Sunday, I still worked and and only popped out when I walked Norman. I forgot I’d opened the wine yesterday, so it ended up being a zero alcohol and zero spend day.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Zero spend day
3. Nice food.

Monday 9th February was a busy day which started with me catching Norman chomping on cat shit which he’d dragged out of the gravel. I had my usual tea and toast then shoved some ingredients in the slow cooker to make a curry for lunch. I worked all morning and in the afternoon I spoke to a couple of customers and a colleague before having a late lunch.
As it was the Tet holiday in Vietnam, and the year of the horse was about to begin, I found a photo of me on a horse so that I could wish all my Vietnamese friends ‘Chúc Mừng Năm Mới’, next week. The photo was taken by Murat from when I’d joined my sister, brother-in-law and 2 nieces on a horse riding trip, not far from Dalyan. Not only was it the year of the horse starting on the 17th of this month, but it was a Fire Horse. Here’s some info about what that mean if you believe in the zodiac signs;
Key Themes & Predictions for 2026
The Fire Horse Energy: The rare combination of Fire and Horse signifies rapid progress, passion, and intense, sometimes volatile, energy that can feel like a “wildfire” if not managed.
Career & Finance: A strong year for leadership, creativity, and ambitious, fast-moving, and risky career moves, particularly in tech or media.
Relationships & Health: While a year of high excitement, it is also a “clash” year for Horses, which may lead to instability or break-ups in relationships. It is crucial for everyone to practice emotional steadiness, manage stress, and avoid overthinking.
Advice: Focus on calculated risks, and “control the changes” by celebrating milestones like weddings or new babies to counter potential instability.
Lucky Elements: Red is a favourable colour; incorporating “cool” elements (like travelling to colder, northern, or western regions) may help balance the fiery energy.
I finished at 8.30pm and it had been a long day so I decided to eat cheese and biscuits for dinner with a couple of glasses of red wine to finish off the wine I’d bought on Saturday and forgotten to finish. I’d had another zero spend day which I was pleased about and was hoping for another one tomorrow too.
Tonight was my last one with Norman as Jamie & Drew were back tomorrow afternoon.

Gratitude List
1. Good food
2. Another 5 Star review
3. Norman.

Dalyan – 1st February

It was the first day of my Frugal February on Sunday 1st February and I’d also planned to take the day off. I had given myself a mission to spend less than £91 (5,369 lira) in 3 weeks. The exchange rate throughout February would get nearer to 60 lira to the pound – the highest I’d known it. I’d already pretty much cut out non-essential purchases from my lifestyle for most of the last year or more, but now I was really going to test myself (hopefully). Captain Caveman would arrive for the last week of February and we would spend normally then – and have a bit of a treat or two.
I had another 10 days left with Norman and he was doing well despite the wettest winter I’d had in Dalyan. The forecast didn’t look much better for the next week and I could guarantee it would probably fine up, the day that Jamie returned!
After tea and toast with Norman, who promptly fell asleep after his corner of toast, I checked my blog stats. January had 24% more views than December and the top 3 views were from the UK, Türkiye and the USA, then followed by The Netherlands, Australia, Singapore, Germany, Sweden, Vietnam and Ireland. I was pleased to see Vietnam in the top 10 for the start of 2026. It stopped raining but the skies were grey and another downpour was imminent.
I met a friend at the tea gardens and we had a catch up and a cup of tea – I splashed out and had 2 large teas for 40 lira (68p) and we were there for a while. We left just as it was starting to rain again but I managed to get back home in time to check on the leaks. Our pool on the complex had overflowed so it was a good job I had my wellies on.
By the time I was walking past my parents’ and to Jamie’s, the sun was out and I hurried back to take Norman out for a walk. I found him laying on the kitchen rug, basking in the sunshine. On the walk, the skies got gloomier and by the end of it, little Norman had quite a spurt on to get home before he got wet.
We got in just before another downpour and I had sausage casserole with veggies and potatoes for my dinner – it was delicious. I ended up doing a bit of work in the evening and decided to follow another one of those prompt sheets I often do but only get halfway through!
Norman came for snuggles on the sofa while I got excited over a Facebook recognition badge (sad, I know) and a video call with Captain Caveman who was in London.

Gratitude List
1. Tea with a friend on my day off
2. Norman
3. A video call with Captain Caveman.

Dalyan – 25th January

My first task on Sunday 25th January was to encourage Norman, who was very snoozy, to go outside. He was quite sleepy most of the day but he did have a corner or 2 of toast before napping. I got on with work and it was going to be a long day as I’d signed up for a free course which started late tonight. I had a lunch break at 3.30pm and decided to go to the shops to stock up for the rest of the week. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

BIM Supermarket
Pasta 14.00
Bread 15.00
Satsumas 18.73
Rice crackers 23.50
Sweetcorn 32.50
Bananas 41.83
2 Dido chocolate bars 43.50
Mushrooms 48.00
Wholemeal bread 52.00
Wraps 63.50
600g chicken breasts 145.19
Frozen chicken pieces 170.00
700g chicken thighs 179.53
Total spent 847 lira (£14.86)

I made a chicken and leek pasta bake for dinner which was amazing and had a few portions left for fridge/freezer. Norman put in another complaint when he thought his dinner was late as we had been back from a walk for over 30 minutes.
In the evening we watched some TV and I fell asleep on the sofa until my alarm went off for a Facebook Live session I’d agreed to join. Tomorrow was the start of a challenge called the Race to Recurring Revenue with business strategist Lisa Johnson, so I joined an 11pm welcome party on my laptop.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Food shopping
3. A tasty dinner.

Dalaman to Dalyan – 18th January

I landed at Dalaman airport at 12.30am on Sunday 18th January and waited quite a while for my suit case, in fact I was one of the last out of the airport. I hadn’t managed to drink the prosecco on the plane so I had some to bring home, I didn’t bother with anything at Duty Free as I was going to try to cut down on alcohol. Unfortunately, while going through the nothing to declare exit, I got stopped. The staff member there opened my suitcase and, because of the last minute cramming in of produce, it was in a bit of disarray with food all over the place. The man asked me what it was and pointed at the food. I replied it was food as I was cooking dinner for my family and friends tonight. He smiled, said ok and let me go! I was so relieved because I really hadn’t want it to be confiscated.
My usual taxi man, Sonuç was on his way to the UK with his family so he had sent Engin. He took my case and we travelled back fairly quickly to Dalyan where he dropped me at the gate to the apartment complex and the fare was £30. The taxi rank at the airport is only £25 but I prefer to have a driver I know when arriving in the night/early hours and they don’t always drop you at your home when coming from Dalaman. I went in, put the electric back on and decided to unpack so that I could get the food in the fridge and freezer. Despite having to leave some back in the UK, I still had loads of lovely stuff which is either expensive or unavailable in Turkey.
I went to bed and although it was quite cold in Dalyan, it was still a bit warmer than London. I didn’t set an alarm as I didn’t have to be anywhere until later in the day. I didn’t have the internet with it being a Sunday so it was a nice quiet day. I did manage a bit of a walk round the town and to the bank. I got an update from 2 of my customers who were on a sleeper train, heading to Dong Hoi and were going to be staying in Phong Nha, Vietnam. They seemed to be enjoying themselves so far and I was looking forward to finding out how they would like Phong Nha.
At 5.30pm I popped my new Christmas and birthday clothes on and I met Jamie at Ela’s Kitchen for a Sunday dinner. I’d been a bit reluctant when he asked to book it in as I thought I’d have had enough English food but I decided to go for the Sunday dinner. It was a relatively new thing at Ela’s, with soup for starter, beef for main and cake for afters. They offer choice of chicken or nut roast at 850 lira (£15), beef at 950 lira (£17) or lamb at 1,100 lira (£19) which included the 3 courses. The food was really good and I was super stuffed, I also had a glass of red wine to wash it down with. When we went to get the bill, Jamie insisted on paying for it as a birthday treat, which was really lovely.

Gratitude List
1. Getting back to Dalyan with a suitcase full of treats
2. Having a good sleep
3. Sunday dinner birthday celebrations with Jamie.

Sheffield to Pontecarlo – 11th January

It turns out it wasn’t the ‘snow’ that ruined my birthday on Sunday 11th January, it was me. My hangover was immense and I could barely function to open my birthday cards and presents. My present from Captain Caveman had been to pay for Marrakech as well as all the Christmas and birthday Shenanigans. My parents and sister gave me money which I was grateful for and promised I would buy something I needed with it. I also got a travel toiletry kit and a birthday cake from my sister and the family, which I didn’t realise how lovely it was until much later. On Facebook I had so many messages to say Happy Birthday and I couldn’t reply as my phone was playing up and my head was banging!
Captain Caveman took himself back to bed, he was also in a state. We were meant to be getting the train to Pontecarlo around 3pm so Ma cooked us a lovely Sunday dinner. We had forgotten that the eggs had been eaten at breakfast so we sent Captain Caveman out to get some. When he returned he looked broken and had bumped in to Neil who was walking the dog to the Angel at Spinkhill to get the car. He reported back that their household were mainly in a state too. Captain Caveman was so bad that he didn’t even eat half of is Sunday dinner – and he left the crackling! After dinner, Captain Caveman went back to bed again and I still felt rough and resigned myself to staying in Mosborough another night.
Captain Caveman decided we would leave Mosborough and we got the bus in to town, it was dark, cold and trying to snow. There were certainly no train tins on our journey back and we even got a taxi from Ponte station to Captain Caveman’s house where we got in and went straight to bed.

Gratitude List
1. Birthday cards, money and gifts
2. A pork Sunday dinner with Yorkshire puds
3. A very low key birthday!

Barnes – 26th & 27th December

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dalyan – 13th & 14th December

I had just 4 days left with Norman and 10 days left in Dalyan on Saturday 13th December. I hoped to be able to fit a few things in here, before the end of the year. The weather was good, Norman was snoozing and I got a notification to tell me that my author’s proof copy was arriving in Pontefract this morning! Even though I’d woken up with a sore arm from the flu vaccine, I thought that nothing could spoil my day!
I didn’t bother with the Saturday market but had a walk in to town and met Penny & Phil, content in the knowledge that Captain Caveman had the weekend off and would soon be opening ‘The Handy Travel Planner’, getting the red pen out to correct any obvious mistakes. We had chatted about having a video call so that I could then update the book and get it ready for people to start buying before Christmas on Monday!
At Jik’s, Penny had already ordered and was eating a breakfast, I decided to treat myself to a bacon and mushroom sandwich with an orange juice which was lovely. We got chatting and then decided to move tables to sit in the sun and I had a couple of red wines.
We saw lots of passing Dalyan Dwellers who had already been to the Winter fair and decided we would have a wander over to the Mosque Square to look round the fair, too I paid my 700 lira (£12.50) bill and off we went. It was very busy with lots of stalls, Penny found it hard to walk round for too long so I left her and Phil at Corner Bar. I had a mulled wine and a chocolate brownie from the Ren Garden stall for 150 lira (£2.68) while saying a quick hello to Görkem. I bought some books for 800 lira (£14.29) at the book stall which had a ticket for each book. All the tickets went in to a draw to win a bag of goodies. This is where I met the stall holder, Ali, who was raising money for the dog shelter. The books I picked were all detective/thriller novels for Dad to read, as I know they only bring hand luggage out and books he hasn’t read are difficult to get.
I popped to Kate’s stall where I managed to spend just a few quid on some new coasters. She was raising money for Arthur’s Legacy, a cat charity.
It was so very crowded, the busiest fair in Dalyan I had seen and I went back home to drop stuff off then over to Jamie’s to check on Norman.
While I was there, I checked if Captain Caveman had got my book and had he looked at it yet – he’d decided to go away for the weekend and so, disappointingly, the answer was no. He was due back tomorrow night and would look at it then, if it hadn’t been left out in the rain!
I decided to walk Norman back in to town but he was not keen on going far. We got as far as Ren Garden, where Penny, Phil and Caramel now were so I joined them. Norman loved it in there and I even let him off the lead to see if he and Caramel would play together – they didn’t. Penny had bought a whole cooked chicken from the butchers to feed Caramel with so of course Norman wanted to eat it too. I was hesitant as I didn’t want it to affect his tum but he did share some and snaffled it down. I had 2 mulled wines and a piece of really good carrot and walnut cake. I paid a total of 500 lira (£8.93) and we stayed out until 9pm.
Norman was very sprightly walking home and was so pleased with himself to have had extra chicken from Penny and Caramel.

Gratitude List
1. A good day with friends at the Winter fair
2. Norman
3. Mulled wine.

Sunday 14th December had any plans I might have had, cancelled. Poor little Norman had an accident at just gone 7am. He’d sneezed, coughed, farted and shit himself on the tiled floor of the dining room. The chicken he’d had last night had not done him any favours as I moved him away from a puddle of orange liquid that smelled foul! I felt awful for him and let Jamie know, seeing as I probably shouldn’t have let him eat the chicken.
I’d only just finished cleaning it up when Nanny Kay popped round for a visit and Norman was pleased to see her. We had a good chat and a laugh then arranged to have a pre Christmas drink on Friday as well as seeing each other next Sunday before I left for the UK.
Norman managed a short walk but he wasn’t his usual sprightly self so we chilled on the sofa in the evening. I had a homemade chickpea and spinach curry with couscous for dinner, which was nice. I waited for Captain Caveman to call or message to say he’d got my planner but I never heard anything! This meant that ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ would not be going on sale tomorrow. I was yet again disappointed and mad with myself for not planning it better.

Gratitude List
1. Seeing Nanny Kay
2. Norman
3. Healthy curry for dinner.

Dalyan – 5th to 7th December

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dalyan – 30th November

It was still raining when my alarm went off at 6am on Sunday 30th November. I didn’t go to feed Baby C until it stopped raining around 7.30am. On the way home I checked on the 2 white dogs who were fine but one of them had a half wet blanket.

Back home, I had a cup of Yorkshire tea and decided I would go with Captain Caveman on his Sunday Walk. As usual he’d had lots of people saying they might come but no definites and it’s always hard to know who’s coming when it looks like rain. My parents and several Dalyan Dwellers were going to the Çaliş fair so it looked to be a quiet Dalyan. I was hoping to sit and drink tea but when we got to the Kaunos tea garden meeting point there was only us. We decided to have a walk around the edges of Dalyan, just as it started to rain again. Opposite the tombs is a ridiculous wooden frame with plastic flowers draped over it, which were coming loose and blowing in to the river. I picked up several plastic flowers and put them in a bin. After about an hour and 15 minutes of walking we reached the Kefal tea gardens and ordered something to warm us up. Here’s what we had with the prices in lira;

Kefal tea gardens
1 Sage tea 15
1 Large Turkish tea 20
2 cheese & onion toasties 220
Total spent 255 lira (£4.64)

That was breakfast sorted and we decided to continue along the river walk towards the Denizkızı ferry. We bumped in to Ghislaine and her dogs so had a chat and I found it tricky to walk through the puddles with tons of stray cats round my feet, who may have thought we had come to feed them.

We got home before 1pm as we needed to shower and get ready for a lunch arrangement. Sezgin and Nur wanted us to join them for lunch at a place they love to go to eat lamb. Joining us were Debbie and Mike who we hadn’t had chance to catch up with yet either, so that worked well. I don’t eat lamb but I know that Captain Caveman loves it so I was happy to oblige. Sezgin recommended we all try the Tandır Lamb dish which is roasted lamb in the oven, slow cooked for a few hours. It came with plenty of bread, salad and pickled vegetables so I managed to eat just a little of the lamb. Mike ordered kofta (meatballs) instead but I wanted to try the dish Sezgin and Nur really liked. It was good, and cooked really well. Captain Caveman loved it and we even took some home to have for tomorrow. Here’s what we paid for our share of the meal with water to drink;

Köprübaşı restaurant
1,850 lira (£33.64)

After, we drove back to Kefal tea gardens for a second visit and had a drink and a chat. I paid for the drinks and here’s what we had with prices in lira;

Kefal tea gardens
1 soda water 25
2 Large Turkish tea 40
1 Espresso 65
2 Black coffee 80
Total 210 lira (£3.82)

It was almost 4pm by the time we got in, so on the evening cat feed I took Captain Caveman with me so we could go for another walk after. We were surprised to see people we knew in Sofra bar who were already back from Çaliş, including Jamie. We decided to join them for one and ended up having 3 drinks. Here’s what we had with prices in lira;

Sofra bar
3 Efes Malt 450
3 Red wine 540
Total spent 990 lira (£18)

We didn’t stay out late as it had turned quite cold and we needed to get some rest before Captain Caveman’s last day tomorrow. We walked past a new cafe which Ozzy was opening and would cater for people arriving late from the airport. Before bed, I checked where my finances were on my income & expenditure spreadsheet as it was the last day of the month. I had just about managed to get back to breaking even; I’d spent £780 against a budget of £1,000 so I was pleased with that. I’d also got a surplus of £392 to take in to the last month of the year. My credit card was paid off (as always) and all the bills were paid.

Gratitude List
1. A Sunday Walk for just the 2 of us made a nice change for me
2. Traditional Turkish Lunch out with friends
3. Being within budget.

Dalyan – 23rd November

It was quite windy and cold out on Sunday 23rd November as I left Captain Caveman in bed, snoring away. I fed the cat as usual and was back home before 8am, the weather didn’t look great for Captain Caveman’s Sunday Walk but he was up for it. I’d already been made aware that I wouldn’t be able to do the walk due to the difficulty level so I had taken it upon myself to meet up with others who couldn’t do it either. Captain Caveman had arranged to meet at Kaunos tea gardens at 9am and there was quite a turn out. A few of us less athletically inclined today, had planned to join the walk as far as the Portakal ferry then walk back to get a bit of light refreshment, however, someone was running late. I didn’t want to hold the main Sunday walkers up so off they all went and I said to Captain Caveman I would meet him at the Kefal tea gardens after they had finished. Our little group got a hot drink inside the new indoor bit, it was a little chilly without any sun and Nur had to rescue a bird from a cat. Sezgin and his family had to get back home so they said their farewells and off we all went.
Vanessa, Janet, Julie and I then ambled from one tea garden to the other, one where we sat indoors and ordered breakfast and drinks. The sun came out and it warmed up nicely. I had a Turkish breakfast plate and a Turkish tea for only 290 lira (£5.27) and it was really tasty. I had plenty left when Captain Caveman and the walkers arrived and ordered a beer. At the tea gardens they had now switched from Efes to Tuborg beer and it cost 150 lira (£2.73), a bargain compared to the prices he was used to in the UK.
Captain Caveman and I called at the shops on the way home and this is what we bought, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Onions 4.54
Potatoes 13.87
Carrots 65.68
6 eggs 72.95
Cashew nuts 95.00
A 1.3kg Chicken 97.75
Cherry juice 105.00
Walnuts 109.00
Espresso coffee 499.95
Total spent 1,063.74 lira (£19.34)

Back home, after sitting on the balcony to dry off my wet hair, I prepared some food ready for later as we were going to be eating a roast chicken dinner. I decided to call to feed the cat early as the weather looked a bit iffy and I wanted to check all the windows were closed. She was very pleased to see me and got some tickles, I then walked back past the bank and got out some Turkish cash for Captain Caveman for tomorrow. I’d hoped we might be off out on the yellow boat to Köyceğiz as I’d took the day off, but he was already booked up. Before dinner we had a quick drink in Tez bar to say hello to Tez then went home for White Russians and a lovely dinner.

Gratitude List
1. A lovely non Sunday Walk with like-minded friends
2. Great food
3. Spending most of the day with Captain Caveman.

Dalyan – 15th & 16th November

Saturday 15th November was one of those days where I was totally cheesed off. I don’t have many days like that because generally I try to keep positive and upbeat wherever I can. I try to tackle problems with a solution as soon as I can. I was also finding that going through the menopause was having an impact on my emotions and I was so much more easily put out of sorts by things I couldn’t control.
I fed the chaotic 7 cats. Norman, the 3 legged cat, wasn’t about but there was a black and white one in its place.
I worked on my planner but was disappointed to realise that on Canva my margins had come undone and I had lots of changes to update. It meant that I was further delayed to submit the copy to Amazon for a proof copy. I was miffed as, if I’d known earlier, I would’ve planned better.
I got another Fikri taxi back home but had to be back before 6pm as a friend was coming over for pizza (again). When I got back to Kate’s, there had been a cat incident; Norman the 3-legged cat was back and tormenting JC and Baby. There was a dead blackbird as a gift at the back door and Mork had, what looked like, a cat’s tail in his mouth!
It ended with me having to let Kate know and her telling me to me to contact Sue to come get her cat. When Sue and Graham arrived they went to get Norman in the cat carrier but decided he would rather stay where he was and went home without him! Baby had still not come home and it’s tail is the same colouring so we had some drama trying to find it. Me and my friend had to form a search party for a cat without half of its tail. We gave up looking once we got hungry and ordered Ozzy’s pizzas. It came to 800 lira (£14.55) for 2 and was lovely. At 11.15pm, when my friend was leaving, Baby came home with her tail in tact and demanding to be fed. We were all very relieved but there was still the mystery of who the tail belonged to.

Gratitude List
1. Still finding something to be grateful for
2. Fikri
3. Friends who understood.

On Sunday 16th November I fed the cats and was met by another gift of a dead bird – they really do like me. After disposing of the second bird in 2 days, the second without a head attached, I decided the cats were all going out in the sun for the day. I also decided to take myself off on my own Sunday walk and was intending to pop home to put some washing on.
I treated myself to lunch at Çağrı, where I had chicken casserole, garlic spinach, rice and bread with a bottle of water for 720 lira (£13.09) including a tip. There was enough to take half home but that’s when I realised I hadn’t brought my house key. I took it with me and called in to Bim Supermarket where I bought some sweets and a Dido chocolate bar for 77 lira (£1.40) then I needed a toilet stop.

I called in to Mono where I ordered a green tea for 60 lira (£1.09) and sat relaxing and updating my diary. They had a new promotion on for Friday night Indian food with a set menu at 1,390 lira (£25.27) for 2 people, not including drinks. I got chatting with the owners and accidentally found myself with a large portion of delicious carrot cake for 295 lira (£5.36). It was probably the most expensive piece of cake I’d eaten in quite a while but it was very good and I didn’t manage to save half, as intended. I walked back to Kate’s, a bit cheesed off at having forgotten the key but pleased I’d had a day out, even if I had unexpectedly spent over £20. Back at Kate’s I fed all but 1 of the cats who didn’t turn up that evening.

Gratitude List
1. An impromptu Sunday walk
2. Great food and cake
3. Having most of the cats fed and watered.

Dalyan – 8th & 9th November

There was a craft fair in Dalyan on Saturday 8th November and I’d arranged to accompany Nanny Kay to it. I got up early to walk Norman and had a slight hangover but it soon went after my tea and toast. I spoke to Captain Caveman before he got up and he was looking forward to seeing me in exactly 2 weeks’ time. He did want me to check the beach bus timetable as he was planning a couple of Sunday walks and wanted to see if the beach was a viable route.
I’d misunderstood the timings of today and Nanny Kay didn’t arrive until lunch time so I could’ve gone back to bed after the dog walk. We had a browse round the stalls and Nanny Kay got a couple of nice Christmas ornaments. It probably won’t surprise you that I just bought food items. Here’s what I got with the prices in lira;

Stall 1
Sourdough 200 lira (£3.64)

Stall 2
1 potato pasty
1 spinach pasty
100 lira (£1.82)

Stall 3
2 mince pies 120 lira (£2.18)

Jiks pub
2 Fantas 200 lira (£3.64)

I had a lovely few hours out, in the sun for just 620 lira (£11.26). We’d had to have a sit down and a beverage at Jiks as it was just so hot.
Norman was asleep when I got home but when he woke up he was pleased to see me and we went out for a walk. It was 3.15pm when I had sourdough, olives and cheese for lunch. Norman reminded me that we still hadn’t been to buy any treats and that we should go today. I reassured him he could have some tomorrow and that he’d be ok as he’s put quite a lot of weight on recently.
I did a few more updates for my forthcoming planner and then had more sourdough as it was just so nice. Tomorrow, I was meant to be taking the day off but I really needed to be getting my book finished and delivered to Captain Caveman so that he could bring a proof copy out for me to check. I wanted to get it published and on sale before Christmas.
On the evening dog walk, we called in to see my parents and I gave them some pasties from the fair but didn’t go in as Dad was getting in the shower and they were off out later.

Gratitude List
1. Sourdough
2. Norman
3. Spending time with Nanny Kay.

I wasn’t planning on seeing anyone on Sunday 9th November as I’d decided to get on with the internal pages of my planner. My parents and their friends had gone on a Yellow boat day trip so I hadn’t arranged to meet them.
I took Norman on a dog walk in the morning, in the middle of the day and again in the evening. He only went a couple of blocks but at least it was not raining. He slept a lot and I got on with stuff, slower than I wanted to be doing!
When I finished for the evening, I fed Norman and he hinted that he wanted some treats so I decided to go to the shop.
As I went in Migros, Julie came running up behind me to say my parents were in Ozzy’s and I should come and say hello after their boat trip.
I quickly grabbed some dog treats and some human ones too for a total of 174.10 lira (£3.18) and then wandered over to join my parents, Julie & Gareth, Adam & Kath. I ended up having a couple of red wines and a chicken pizza in Ozzy’s and my parents shared a pizza too.
My dinner with drinks came to just 705 lira (£12.82) and was an unplanned and tasty surprise. Ozzy was giving residents a 10% discount during the winter which was a lovely gesture and his pizzas are excellent.

Gratitude List
1. Getting a little further with my planner
2. Norman
3. An impromptu meal and drinks with my parents & friends.