Costa Del Sol – 14th June

We all had good intentions on Sunday 14th June as the plan was to spend the morning on the beach, come back for pool or siesta time and then go out for a meal at a pre booked restaurant this evening. Claire had been looking after everyone and she had suggested a lovely loll on the Fuengirola beach.
Unfortunately, by the time we had ransacked the breakfast buffet, time was ticking on and we sacked off the idea. We went round the pool and I decided it would be good to get us some bucks fizz. I’d not paid for a taxi last night, nor had I bought any shots (which we thought were probably not the real Tequila Rosé, anyway) so it was a small gesture to show I wasn’t the cheap chaser I came across as in my blogs!
I also treated my roomies to a strawberry Calippo each. I thought the on-site shop was, once again, reasonably priced and was well stocked with cold drinks. Here’s what I paid with prices in Euros.

Ramada Hotel shop
1 carton orange juice 2.50
2 Calippo lollies 6.00
1 bottle of Cava 8.50
Total spent €17.00 (£14.43)

For lunch the gang had more munchies from the shop but I made my sandwiches from breakfast bread rolls and the left over pork knuckle – it was still amazing! I really do think not wasting food and eating more leftovers is the way forward, even on holiday.
At the Ramada by Wyndham resort there was a train to take guests around but we never quite timed it right – such a good idea when it’s sunny or for families, though. Of course, I’d made use of the washing machine facilities and done a wash ahead of my 4th destination tomorrow. By late afternoon a few of us were lounging around our room and decided to play some of the games Claire had brought. It was a great way to pass the time when we had a short shower of rain and I enjoyed having a laugh with everyone.
In the evening we ventured out for drinks and dinner in the very classy Mijas Pueblo – I even popped on a long black dress and borrowed a strapless bra from Dawn. We had some lovely wine, cocktails and sangria at Alboka Gastro – a delightful place not far from the donkeys we had been warned against riding. I’d been there a handful of times over the years and it’s never been on my itinerary to ride the donkeys or horses, it’s just cruel! We had a nice little wander around the area and got a few photos. A couple were hogging a horse statue for way too long so I ended up taking their photo.

The placeholder we had booked for dinner was cancelled and Claire went on ahead to scope out a more suitable alternative for our evening meal. She chose Restaurant El Mirador which had good views, a substantial menu, cheap house wine and lovely staff – perfect for our last night together!
Having already eaten a large breakfast and most of the other half of the pork knuckle in sandwiches for lunch, I wasn’t particularly hungry so I plumped for a mushroom risotto – it was huge! I didn’t eat it all but decided left over risotto tomorrow before our flights might not be a good idea and didn’t bother with a doggy bag this time.
Everyone enjoyed the meal but I was so full I could barely move – Carol’s Fat Club scales, when I got back to Dalyan, were not going to be favourable at all! The free limoncello nearly tipped me over the edge but we didn’t want to offend the kind staff so it was forced down.
Claire and I got a taxi back leaving the younger and wilder ones to give the ball a kick for the last night.
I’d had such a lovely weekend away and it was really good to have taken some time off. Tomorrow 6 of the gang were heading back to Bournemouth or Gatwick, while one lady was staying an extra night with a friend in Fuengirola and I was off to another exciting destination.

Gratitude List
1. A relaxing Sunday with the gang at Ramada by Wyndham
2. A classy night out in Mijas
3. Great food and hilarious company.

Photo Credit – some photos by the Costa Del Sol gang

Sheffield – 7th June

Sunday 7th June was another day off for Captain Caveman and we were meant to be heading south before my trip to Spain. We decided to have a day to ourselves and get more exercise. My legs were still aching from yesterday but by 10am I was in the warmest clothes I had clean (cycling shorts, a hoodie and a t-shirt) and on a walk with Captain Caveman. I’d had Yorkshire tea and toast for breakfast and Captain Caveman wanted to take me to a nice little cafe he had found while doing the 5 Weirs Walk. It was a pleasant walk until I realised it was quite lengthy and we passed nowhere with any facilities. Obviously, I was super desperate for a pee and had to nip in to a grave yard, which I don’t like doing – it’s just not respectful.

When we finally got to the cafe, it was closed for a private function even though Captain Caveman had checked on their Facebook page that it was open. Rag N Bone was meant to be open until 4pm on a Sunday and I could see how Captain Caveman was disappointed that we couldn’t go in. We decided to walk to Meadowhall, which was extremely busy, and we got something to eat from Marks and Spencer. Captain Caveman got little sausages and samosas, I got my favourite super nutty salad. We shared his while stood at the tram stop.

We got the tram back home for a rest and to eat my salad. We were meant to be travelling south today but decided to delay to tomorrow. I did a little bit of work because a new Mekong River Cruise went on sale with Riviera and it was ideal for 2027 and 2028 bookings. I also had a good look at some of the new Wendy Wu tours in South East Asia, ideal for first time travellers to that part of the world, or solo travellers who wanted to be part of a small group.

We had a quick walk to the Gardeners Rest pub for a pre dinner drink then went home for Captain Caveman to prepare us a feast! We started with a cheese selection and crackers then a steak with vegetables. It had been a really lovely day spent with Captain Caveman and we were both looking forward to our trip tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. The 5 Weirs Walk with Captain Caveman
2. Good food
3. Spending our first day together in 5 days, just us!

Dalyan – 31st May

I had a lovely day on Sunday 31st May and, because last Sunday I had wasted it being miserable, I decided to take myself off for brunch today. One of my favourite places is Mornings in Mavi where I enjoyed a white flower and strawberry tea with a granola bowl in the cute cafe. The owner’s wife turned up with a tray of freshly made cookies which I could not resist buying one for later. The food is so fresh and tasty there, so I always enjoy it for a treat. I paid a total of 600 lira (£10) including a small tip and I was off back to see Norman.
I called round to see friends for a sage tea and a good catch up as we hadn’t seen each other in a while. It was nice to hear about their holidays and also planned trips.
Jamie called from the British Virgin Islands and was enjoying his trip so much that he mentioned he was considering telling Norman he had to move house again. Norman wasn’t up for that and seemed a bit sad after hearing from Jamie, so we had to make sofa cuddles a priority.
As I was dog sitting, I had not gone on one of the boat trips today, but Nanny Kay had popped round when she got back to say hello to me and little Norman. The boat trip had been good and I was sad to have missed it. We had another video call from Jamie while Nanny Kay and I were together. I had a veggie curry and a glass of wine for dinner while watching TV with Norman.
It was the end of Bayram and I only had 2 days to get my monthly amount in to my bank account so I stayed up until after midnight to do it as soon as possible in the new month.
I had finished the last few days within a frugal budget level and had recouped some of the overspend. I’d been a bit too optimistic to think I could spend just £550 in May (less than £20 per day) but had actually spent £700.
Despite spending a whopping £700 in May, I had a really great month, especially spending time with family on fabulous boat trips and meals out. I worked out I had still only spent just less than 30% more than Turkey’s minimum wage and had been a tourist for at least a week of this month.
My budget for June was a hard one to set because I was going back to the UK for 10 days, I had a girls trip to Spain planned, then the River cruise Fam Trip and an extra stay in Vienna, plus some flights still to change or book. I decided to limit my June budget to £25 per day and see if I could finish June under £750. Was I being realistic, though? It was going to be a test to stick to any sort of budget but I was going to try.
My weight loss for this month had not gone as hoped but I was at least 1kg (2lb) lighter at the end of the month than at the beginning – I could do better though.
It was unfortunate that there had been a family fall out where it was perceived that I was causing the issue but staying away would hopefully resolve that.
I was also preparing to be visiting the UK again for some summer adventures with Captain Caveman.

Gratitude List
1. Breakfast at Mornings in Mavi
2. Seeing friends
3. Getting through to the end of May over budget but still being quite frugal.

Dalyan – 24th to 26th May

Jamie was off on holiday at 10.30am on Sunday 24th May and I was in charge of Norman, the dog. I said I would pop over around 9.30am for a natter and hand over, as I would be leaving before he returned so we wouldn’t see each other for a month. I was about ready to leave mine when I got the Lukka-gate apology text I was hoping to get. Unfortunately, it upset me massively and I saw the situation very differently.
By the time I got to Jamie’s I was a mess and running late but I quickly said bye to Jamie and Julia then decided to have a sofa day with Norman. I managed to get Norman out for a short walk but he wasn’t keen to go far.
I didn’t eat until 7.45pm when I warmed up a defrosted freezer meal of pasta bolognese. I wasn’t hungry, I was still upset and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. On a positive note, I had not spent any money today and definitely didn’t fancy any booze.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Zero spend day
3. Day 2 of zero alcohol.

On Monday 25th May I was still feeling upset but I decided that I needed to move on. It had been a shock and an eye opener that I was thought of so badly but it was not going to do me any good dwelling on it. I had more than enough on my plate than to let family drama depress me and I was now at the ‘angry and don’t give a shit’ stage. I’m lucky that I am not always in the UK so the distance helps, as usual, I threw myself into my side projects and Resort Experts to keep busy. I decided that I needed to concentrate on me and anyone who tried to dim my sparkle from now on, could whistle!
I popped home to pick up some stuff and did admin all morning. At 2pm I embarked on yet another new business idea. I made a note to rope Captain Caveman into it as he’s good with maps. I forgot to eat but ended up having an ice-cream for dinner.
It was another no spend, no alcohol and plenty of time spent talking to Norman type of day.

Gratitude List

1. Becoming more creative in an attempt to be more positive
2. Norman
3. Another zero spend & zero alcohol day.

It was a quiet day on Tuesday 26th May, Norman was behaving and had a good snore on the round chair while I worked. In the evening my parents had invited me round to theirs.
Norman loves to visit Ma & Pa so he was up for it. If I’m honest, I wasn’t enamoured by the idea and even messaged mom to say that I would find it difficult not to speak about what happened on Friday night. Once there, I had a glass of water and we discussed every topic but the elephant in the room, while trying to prevent Norman from eating any snacks. I left about 10.30pm and when I got home I had a call with Captain Caveman who had lots to tell me, no time to ask how my weekend had gone and I didn’t feel the need to tell him – he probably wouldn’t be interested in my thoughts and drama either.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Not being upset in front of my parents
3. Not feeling the need to divulge my drama to Captain Caveman.

Dalyan – 17th to 19th May

I worked all day on Sunday 17th May and found some great deals for cruises, including a similar route to the trip I would be going on in June.
I had some warmed up pizza for lunch, which I cooked from frozen and then got excited when Travelpack put a Facebook post out to announce my Fam trip onboard Riverside Luxury Cruises.
I worked late because I had taken tomorrow off so that I was on standby to join my sister, if I was invited to Köyceğiz on the yellow boat. It turned out though, that they had decided not to go so I messaged a friend to see if she fancied going to the beach instead and we made a loose plan to either go to Iztuzu or Dalaman in the morning.

Gratitude List
1. Being lucky enough to be going on the Riverside Luxury Cruises Fam trip next month
2. Pizza for lunch
3. Having the flexibility to take some time off.

My plans changed a bit on Monday 18th May; Jamie had asked me to let Norman out at lunch time as he was off to Fethiye for the day. My friend and I met for a cup of tea and a walk at 8am and postponed our outing to the beach. I got more annoyed than I should have that escaped balloons from boat trips were floating down the river! My parents, Gayle and Neil had said they were off to the beach but also changed their minds and went to Köyceğiz on the yellow boat.

I worked on some existing customer admin and checked on a customer abroad.
I visited Norman, who was snoozing and needed to be tempted out with a peanut paw. He’d had a haircut and was looking very trim and pleased to see me.
I had a late lunch of chicken casserole with green beans and carried on with promoting holidays for later in the year.
For dinner I made a concoction of bacon and asparagus risotto, Slimming World style – so no wine or butter in it.
Today I was pleased to have a zero spend and a zero alcohol day.

Gratitude List
1. An early morning walk
2. Seeing Norman, the dog
3. Nice home cooked food.

It was another quiet day on Tuesday 19th May. I did some book writing in the morning, a short course on how to write a landing page and form with Holly Frances and then completed another free course with Lisa Johnson on Selling with Integrity and Scaling. I was doing ok with Resort Experts but I could definitely take on more customers for this year and 2027 so I was working on doing just that.
I had warmed up leftover risotto for lunch, which wasn’t the best as it was using broken rice. I worked more in the afternoon and then made a Slimming World Tarka Dal for dinner. It was very tasty and felt healthy which was good as I had weigh day tomorrow and I wasn’t hopeful for a loss this week.
I stayed at home in the evening and had another zero spend and zero alcohol day.

Gratitude List
1. Free and helpful courses
2. Home cooked meals
3. A quiet but productive day.

Dalyan & Ekincik – 10th May

I’d been invited on another boat trip with Julia, Jamie & Drew on Sunday 10th May. Joining us were Julia’s friends from back home in the Hull area, including Ann & Stuart and her brother and sister-in-law plus Dalyan friends, Victoria and Nicola. The private boat trip which Julia had booked, was with Turgay but he was still awaiting paperwork sign off. Instead of being on Turgay’s new boat, we were with Favourite boat and Hussein. Turgay was still with us, bringing the fun, though.
We left at 9.45am and it was a really great boat trip, although still too cold for me to swim in the sea. It cost £40 for the trip and included a BBQ lunch with mezes, chips and prawns then we had baklava with fruit in the afternoon when we had another stop at Little Dalyan. The food was great and the trip a really good one, despite Turgay being disappointed we couldn’t go on his new boat. I had a great time meeting all the new people as well as getting to spend time with the familiar faces. My bar bill for 4 white wines and soda plus a tip came to 1400 lira (£23.33).
When we got back around 5pm, it was suggested we have a drink or 2 in Sofra so I also joined everyone. I had draft Efes shandies, 340 lira (£5.66) for 2 pints, then left. I’d not got anything out of the freezer for dinner as I didn’t expect to be hungry and I’d ran out of sourdough. I decided to order pizza from Heybe as I really enjoyed them the last couple of times. I paid 450 lira (£7.50) for 2 and they were really tasty, with plenty left for tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Another excellent boat trip with Julia and friends
2. A total spend of £76.50 but £40 was already budgeted for in cash
3. Heybe pizza to finish off a great Sunday.

Photo credit – some photos by Ann

Dalyan – 3rd & 4th May

I had a fairly easy going working day on Sunday 3rd May. I should’ve been hungover as I had a total of 6 white wines and at least a couple of Blow Jobs throughout yesterday, but all was well. I was up at 8am with a cup of tea and had decided to work today instead of yesterday. I was meant to be going to the beach with a friend but she was having a bit of a to do because the power went off, she needed to find somewhere to work and decided to go to Ortaca. I had already charged devices and had popped on my noise cancelling headphones to do a few courses I had embarked on. I had also signed up for a notebook making course with Claire Clarke and decided to get ideas for that started too. Inbetween all that, I did Resort Experts stuff too and got on with content for my next travel tips book.
It actually felt quite good knowing that Dalyan was without power so I couldn’t be disturbed and I got a lot done. I ate cold leftover pizza from Friday night as I only have electric and mine was off still at lunch.
It was a zero spend day but I was already at £69 spent for the week with another trip out tomorrow. Vanessa had asked me to join her for a last goodbye on the yellow boat trip to Köyceğiz market, seeing as I had missed the Dalyan Saturday market I decided it was a good idea.
I had a quesadilla type dinner with more left overs and a video call with Captain Caveman to finish off my weekend. This time next month I would be heading over to see him in Sheffield and was looking forward to it after not seeing him for 3 months!

Gratitude List
1. Still being able to function with a pretty long power cut
2. A zero spend day
3. Planning to see Captain Caveman again next month.

It wasn’t a bank holiday in Türkiye, like it was in the UK, on Monday 4th May and I was in 2 minds if I should be going on a boat trip to Köyceğiz. I was up and about before 7am having been bit on my eyelid by a mosquito during the night and it was itchy and swollen. I also had a dodgy stomach, probably on account of too much sugar and alcohol over the weekend. It was cold and incredibly windy as I went to the pharmacy as soon as they opened to buy seasickness medication for 142.40 lira (£2.37). I took antihistamines but not the seasickness pills and decided to not go on the boat trip. I called Vanessa and apologised but said I would meet them when they returned so I could say bye. After working hard in the morning, I had a chicken wrap for lunch then got a bit tired so ended up going to bed for a nap. I still felt run down and had a dodgy tummy so when I arrived at Ren Garden to join Vanessa, her family and some of their friends, including my parents, I just ordered soda water. I managed to resist the very tempting cake and cookies this time. When Vanessa and family left, I also left the rest of the friends drinking and chatting in the garden room. It was a lovely sunset on the way home and I ate a chicken and spinach curry for dinner.

Gratitude List
1. Getting some seasickness tablets
2. Homemade food
3. Meeting Vanessa and her family for their send off.

Dalyan & Ekincik – 26th April

Sunday 26th April saw the first boat trip of the new season with Captain Ünal on Duran Duran boat. It was a bit of a cloudy day but not raining so we were off to Ekincik Bay. Joining us on the trip was Sioned (Ünal’s wife and my Turkish teacher), their children, Julia and her parents, Jamie, Drew, Elaine (Nanny Kay’s daughter) and me. There was tea, coffee, the famous specially prepared Welsh cakes and Turkish simit to nibble on as we sailed out to sea. I took a sea sickness tablet just in case and chilled out a bit until we got to Ekincik. There was just one more boat there and coincidentally a friend, also from Jamie and Julia’s neck of the woods, was onboard with friends – they were already in the sea.
Although the weather wasn’t warm enough for me to swim, Julia and the kids did brave it. We had another swim stop at Magic Lake where you can feel the warm thermals in the water – I wasn’t brave enough to get in as it was cold.
The boat trip was lovely and the BBQ and mezes very tasty. They served Angora wine which I had 4 of with soda. I paid £45 for the boat trip and 1200 lira (£20) for drinks, so a total of £65 for a full day out including food and drink. As we sailed back in to Dalyan it started to rain. When I got in, it was about 5pm and I was quite tired, I think it was the sea sickness tablet I’d taken. I had a nap and didn’t wake up until 9.30pm, by which time it was too late to bother with dinner, so I just went back to bed.

Gratitude List
1. Being invited on Julia’s boat trip
2. Spending time with Sioned as I don’t see much of her these days
3. Having a day off.

Dalyan – 18th & 19th April

Surprisingly, Saturday 18th April didn’t have the rain it had been forecast and was actually warm and sunny. Carol from Fat Club had been in touch to say she was enjoying her Rhine cruise which was starting in Frankfurt. I had booked her trip with Travelpack and we had found her a German ship which had the Juliet cabin she wanted and couldn’t find. She was quickly turning in to my new PR woman as she posted all over Facebook and in the Fat Club group chat how thrilled she was with this trip already. I was pleased as I know Carol and Ian are a sociable pair and wasn’t sure if they may miss having plenty of fellow Brits around them. After working all morning, I walked over to Vanessa & Matt’s. We had a cup of tea and then walked to the market. I only bought strawberries at 185 lira (£3.08) then we went to my usual pancake stall for a spot of lunch. Vanessa had a chocolate pancake and I chose a spinach one and, although the prices of them had gone up recently, they cost just 300 lira (£5) for both, which is reasonable and they are filling.
After the market, Vanessa and I decided to call in to Ren Garden and we sat in the garden room at the back with a glass of white wine and soda each so we could chat. We had just 2 glasses each with the soda and then had to leave. Matt had been trying to get old of Vanessa but her phone was on silent, to tell us to come to Corner bar. I said I’d head home and Vanessa could catch up with everyone in Corner bar. As I’d paid for the pancakes at the market, I just put 200 lira (£3.33) towards the bill and then we said our farewells. I called at the bakery and bought bread for 20 lira (33p) making a total spend for today of 705 lira (£11.95).
In the evening I spoke on a video call with my mom who was getting excited to be coming out to Dalyan soon.

Gratitude List
1. Carol being pleased with the cruise I’d booked for her
2. Meeting up with Vanessa
3. A video call with Ma.

I had debated having a day away from the laptop on Sunday 19th April but I realised it was not a good idea. From next week I had lots of stuff booked in that meant being away from the desk, so I really needed to make the most of it while I could. I also had 3 new enquiries, 2 of which were about cruises and one for a trip to Turkey. Messenger had started playing up and wasn’t working, I also was having trouble with the banking app. I had got it in my diary that I needed to pick up sourdough from Mesude today so I rushed off to do that, midmorning. On the way, I bumped in to my favourite white dogs and had to give them some attention. This week I was trying the caraway seed sourdough, as well as the ciabatta one. It came to 500 lira (£8.33) for both loaves and I was pleased with the quality. They stay fresh for ages and it’s also great to freeze – it’s so much better for my stomach than other types, too.
Next, I called at Migros to pick up some essentials – here’s what I bought with prices in lira:

Migros Supermarket
Pasta 13.50
Tomato purée 38.92
Green Tea 61.95
Dates 99.90
2 Quark 111.90
4 tins of tomatoes 149.84
Feta style cheese 174.90
Total spent 650.91 lira (£10.84)

I’d not intended on getting the tomato products but they had plenty and they were on offer, so I seized my chance, knowing I was already going to be over the budget this week!
I hurried back and did a few quotes then carried on with more admin and content work. I ate roasted courgettes with cauliflower cheese for lunch, which was tasty. The sourdough trial was a huge success and I was very impressed with it.
In the evening I had a walk and bought some contraception pills which had increased a lot in price. I paid 884.48 lira (£14.74) for 2 packs and they were now more expensive than paying for them in the UK. In November they had been £1.50 per pack cheaper!
For dinner I had a chicken, chickpea and spinach curry with steamed rice and it was really good.

Gratitude List
1. Having too much to do to take a Sunday off
2. Sourdough – caraway seed was a game changer
3. Good food.

Dalyan & Göcek – 12th April

Events in Dalyan are like buses; there is often more than one coming along at the same time after not seeing one for ages!
On Sunday 12th April I had been invited to the engagement of Hannah and Halil. There was transport being put on from Dalyan to Suolo in Göcek about 45 minutes drive away. I’m not great at bus journeys so, when a friend had asked me if I wanted to go in her car, I had jumped at the chance. First, I worked in the morning and then met my friend at the tea gardens where I ordered some chips and a water for 200 lira (£3.33). The engagement party invite did come with a note to say that soft drinks and a light meze would be provided but if we wanted to drink alcohol we had to buy our own at the bar. I didn’t plan on drinking alcohol but decided to have something to eat beforehand so I wasn’t hungry.
On the drive over to Göcek the weather was quite warm so I was hot and a bit travel sick. The Göcek tunnel toll fee was now 75 lira each way so a total of 150 lira (£2.50) and we did get a little bit lost because of the road works. When we arrived at Suolo we were late and there were no seats for us. We headed to the bar where we saw Jamie and The Aussies. Hannah and Halil with their family and close friends were all dressed in black, they looked stunning so I was glad I’d managed to find a dress to wear – my summer outfits were still packed away, though. The venue was lovely and I’d not been before. I ordered a coke for my friend and a soda water for me. The soft drinks weren’t free but it would be a few minutes to wait for soda water. I paid 100 lira (£1.67) for the coke, which I thought reasonable for the waterside venue, and said I would wait for the soda. They would only accept card and it was a bit awkward as he only wanted me to pay for the coke as the soda hadn’t materialised yet and then it took over 30 minutes so the bar man gave it me for free after offering me every other drink he still had left.
When the food was served it was very popular and so many people rushed to get involved. I had a bit of rocket a spoonful of yoghurt and a piece of bread, there were other mezes available but I was conscious of the drive back. We took our plates towards the inside and kiddy area to find a table to sit at and we got talking to a couple of friends I hadn’t seen in ages.
After chatting and watching the dancing, the music came to an end around 5pm. We bumped in to Hannah’s mom and we all said what a lovely day it had been. I had plans to attend another function back in Dalyan but, before returning, my friend and I nipped in to Göcek.
We had a walk along the harbour, checked out a place with a pool and bar (for when visitors come in the summer), then I treated my friend to another coke and a cake for driving and I just had a Turkish tea. I paid a bargain 205 lira (£3.42) but I was feeling a bit tired now and wanted to get back.
We drove back and I was meant to be going to a birthday party at Efe bar but I was shattered so sent my apologies. I was hungry so I had my dinner of beans on toast at 8.45pm then I went to bed with a headache.

Gratitude List
1. Being invited to Hannah’s engagement party at Suolo in Göcek
2. Bumping in to friends
3. An afternoon off.

Photo Credit – Hannah Davies, Greg Le Couteur

Dalyan – 5th & 6th April

I spent Easter Day, Sunday 5th April, working on that Resort Experts Supplier list. I was finally getting through it, but not without so many interruptions from friends to meet for drinks. It was ironic really as I don’t think I’d had this many messages, voice notes and calls to invite me out this year, but as soon as I’m busy this is what happens. I felt bad for letting people down but I was happy to focus on what was important to me right now. I was also working on booking a family holiday for a client. They had been recommended by a friend, which is always good and much appreciated.

I didn’t eat until 3pm, just more left over bolognese, and more messages to check if I’d changed my mind about going out yet. I hadn’t, as I really just needed to get on with the work task I had agreed to do. I muted my phone again so I could focus.
I finally finished for the night and was absolutely knackered. I didn’t leave the house so it was my 3rd zero spend day in a row. I had set my budget for April at £10 per day again and, so far, I was on track.
I was hoping to finish my Resort Experts task tomorrow and I was looking forward to getting out, after working all weekend and not leaving the house during daylight since Thursday! I didn’t eat another meal but I decided to have a glass of Ron Zacapa rum before bed. I put on a Netflix film and instantly fell asleep. When I got in bed the Jazz bar decided to play loud (not Jazz) music and then there was a big storm so I didn’t get to sleep early.

Gratitude List

1. Having the willpower to keep focused on what I needed to do.
2. More leftover bolognese
3. A 3rd day of zero spend!

Monday 6th April was a strange Easter Monday, not that it’s celebrated in Turkey. I was on day 4 of the Resort Experts supplier work and I was almost done. I totted up how much I had left to do and sent an update to Sam, one of the owners.
I decided to go outside to empty the bin and go to the bakery. I fancied a pain au chocolat or a croissant and I needed bread. Not having been outside in day light since Thursday, or in darkness and stormy weather since Friday night, it felt good. My new phone camera highlighted how tired I looked and I really did need to get more sleep!
I bought a chocolate croissant and bread at Parlak bakery for 140 lira (£2.37). Fresh bread had now gone up to 20 lira (33p) but was still cheap. I headed back to the office and cracked on with work. I got thanked and paid for working all Easter weekend so I was pleased with that. My new client decided to go ahead with the villa holiday and we got it paid in full so that the flights were secured too.

I had agreed to meet Debbie (Darling) who wanted to pay me some sponsor money to give to Captain Caveman. A few people, including Jamie, were meeting at Caria Hotel, on the river front, but were going to be eating there. I had a cheese sandwich for a very late lunch and didn’t get there until 5.45pm. By this time most people were rather merry. It was decided it was going to get chilly shortly as the sun was going in, so we walked to Sofra bar and I ordered a red wine. Debbie gave me the money and then went outside while Jamie, Helen and I tried to guess which city her friends were from. We had a good laugh and I ordered another red wine just as Debbie (Darling) came in to say hello to Ali and Brinny, the dog, who had just stopped by on their walk, to say hi. Debbie (Darling) announced that she had had enough and had to go home. Her Mr G (cocktail) was barely touched and she said she couldn’t drink it. Being a keen advocate of not wasting anything, I ended up having it.
I paid my bill of 300 lira (£5.08) for 2 red wines and said bye to anyone we knew. Jamie and I then went to Ren Garden for more red wine. Jamie insisted on a bottle so we paid 400 lira (£6.78) each then I insisted I needed to get to Migros before it closed as I didn’t have anything in for dinner tonight or food for tomorrow. We said bye and I, a little tipsy, went shopping – here’s what I bought with prices in lira:

Migros Supermarket
2 packs Mentos 46.90
1 Quark 55.95
Boiled beans 86.95
Toilet rolls 107.50
3 Bountys 109.90
1 Ham and mushroom pizza 189.95
A 2kg whole chicken 204.90
Total spent 802.05 lira (£13.59)

This is where I realised my error previously on the Bountys, they were on offer but only at 3 for the price of 2. As I was paying for the shopping, I realised I was desperate for a pee and decided it would be a good idea to nip in to Jiks. I ended up having more wine and ordering a pizza. A bloke who I know but hadn’t seen in a while, joined me and we ended up having a nice evening.
My bill in Jiks came to 600 lira (£10.16) meaning I had spent almost £38 today! I reassured myself that at least I’d only been out one day of the 4 day weekend, so it could easily have been more.

Gratitude List
1. Getting paid for weekend work, as promised
2. Finding a suitable villa holiday for a new client
3. Going out for drinks after finishing 4 days of hard work.

Dalyan – 22nd March

I woke up to my 7am alarm on Sunday 22nd March with a banging headache and feeling quite out of sorts. I went downstairs to let Norman out and, unfortunately, he had already peed in the house – right next to the lamp and Dennis, the doorstop. I cleaned it all up and fed Norman before messaging Jamie to check they had arrived in the UK and that all was ok – it was! They were flying to Tenerife tomorrow. I checked my budget and updated my expenditure list. It wasn’t great as I’d spent £72.23 this week, just over the increased weekly budget and £29 over for the month so far. I needed to really be careful this next week and I planned to.
It was cold, even with a thermal vest, t-shirt and hoodie on so I walked over to town to run some errands. I would be looking after Norman until the end of the month and Norman seemed happy with that.
By the time I was walking back, via the chickens who wanted some bread from me, the sun was out and it was a tad warm. I had a rare bit of time where I wasn’t doing anything related to work or travel so I decided to do a puzzle – guess what? It was a travel related one!
I took Norman for a short walk and he didn’t seem overly keen to walk on the road where my parents stay and he was super slow. On the way back he was quicker because he knew it was time for dinner.
I met a friend in the evening at Joy Cafe where they had the spaghetti bolognese and I had a sandwich and some cheese rolls with Turkish tea. They also brought us a free dessert to celebrate Bayram, which was sweet. It’s a really lovely cafe in Gülpınar and there was just us there. I paid 320 lira (£5.42) and my friend dropped me back off. Norman hadn’t moved since I left but was happy to see me when he did wake up, so that he could have sofa cuddles – he loves those.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. The sun coming out
3. Joy cafe.

Dalyan – 15th March

It was an interesting day on Sunday 15th March; I’d already turned down an invite to a boat trip with a friend so that I could get on with tasks that I needed to do. I had something exciting brewing with regards to my books but I couldn’t say anything yet, mainly as I didn’t have all the information. It was Mother’s Day in the UK but they don’t celebrate it in Turkey. I messaged Mom to see when I could call as I didn’t know if she might be doing something with my sister. I tootled off to meet Nanny Kay, Jamie, Drew and Norman in Luvi, a cafe I’d not really taken any notice of before.
It’s next door to Mimi’s and near Ozzy’s Bar in the square next to Migros. It took a short while to order a hot chocolate on account of the staff making the others’ 3 drinks but it was worth the wait and cost 140 lira (£2.37), it wasn’t much more for wine and the wine by the bottle was reasonable, I noted.
The cafe was nice and Norman got some attention. I decided to call to see if there was any chicken on offer on the way back, and I had run out of oats.
I was in luck and here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Şok Supermarket
Oats 87.50
876g Chicken drumsticks 118.26
958g Chicken breasts 238.54
Total spent 444.30 lira (£7.53)

I had a bit of a fiasco with trying to log in to my Amazon account, which was irritating because I needed access for the important meeting I had booked in for tomorrow. That was frustrating as I was sure I had the right details.
In the afternoon I walked over to Vanessa’s, while eating a banana in place of breakfast or lunch, and had a cup of tea with her and Matt and picked up a bag of oranges.
Vanessa and I decided to have a walk round town and called at the tea gardens, it was incredibly busy. We’d already seen Mark, Kate, Pamela and Glynn in Efe bar when Vanessa dropped a scarf off for someone who had left it. Next, we went to Public bar for a glass of wine. It’s one of the more expensive places at 180 lira (£3.05) for a white wine and we shared a soda. I was getting peckish and thought I might order food at Public but resisted and we called at the supermarket. Vanessa recommended some chicken pieces that were a bit like a KFC and I decided to buy those. A bag of them was only 189 lira (£3.20) so much cheaper than eating out and I had wraps at home already, so that was late lunch and early dinner sorted. In the evening I had a video call with my Mom to wish her Happy Mother’s Day.

Gratitude List
1. Cancelled plans
2. Catching up with Vanessa
3. Chicken wrap at home.

Dalyan – 8th & 9th March

I arranged to meet a friend on Sunday 8th March, at Kaunos tea Gardens. I couldn’t take the whole day off so we decided to meet at 9.30am with the intention of having a bit of a walk too. As I walked past the River House I noticed they had sea bream and bass on special for £10.
We ended up sitting inside as it was still quite chilly. I had 2 large Turkish teas and a cheese toastie for 195 lira (£3.30). We had a good catch up and then a walk along the river, stopping to speak to the owner of the new fish and chip place between the Zabıta office and China Town. It looked really good so my friend and I added it to our places to try out soon. I went back home with the intention of getting on with my next handy travel tips book, which I needed to start again as the document had disappeared. That didn’t happen as I had emails to reply to and I ended up working until gone 5pm.
I had bacon and asparagus for dinner, with parmesan on. It was so good and rather extravagant. For afters I made strawberries with quark and mini meringues.
I was going to bed when I got a message from Vanessa inviting me to Matt’s birthday at the new fish and chip place on Wednesday at 5pm.

Gratitude List
1. Fresh air and a walk
2. Catching up with a friend
3. Asparagus.

I had some overripe bananas that needed eating up on Monday 9th March so I made a flourless cake. Moshed bananas, oats, egg and blueberries in the air fryer (or oven) for 20 minutes – and Slimming World friendly too.
I worked all day and was impatiently waiting for the pay day email to come through to show what I was getting paid. Usually we get a statement which shows the top line amount then less any fees and charges. It is broken down by customer name and I cross reference it with my spreadsheet. I was particularly looking forward to this pay day as it was my first one from Resort Experts in 2026, my last pay day had been in December. Because I have more bookings in for spring & summer it means my first pay was due now.
I started The Signal, a course about writing, with Georgina Chapman at 10am and it took my mind off it for an hour. I had plenty of tea and wrote my content for the rest of the week.
At 6.30pm I made myself a Slimming World style pizza and did some blog writing in the evening. It was a zero spend and a zero alcohol day.

Gratitude List
1. Something different for breakfast
2. The Signal, a free course I’d signed up for
3. Eating healthy.

Dalyan – 1st & 2nd March

Over my morning tea and toast on Sunday 1st March, I checked my blog stats. I had just 1% more views in February than January. Interestingly, I had viewers from a country which wasn’t previously on my viewers list, let alone at number 4:
1. UK
2. USA
3. Türkiye
4. Israel
5. Australia
6. Vietnam
7. Hong Kong
8. Ireland
9. Canada
10. Sweden

Because I had taken Friday and Saturday off to accommodate Captain Caveman being here and the postponed boat trip, today was spent in the spare room/office catching up and drinking tea which I made with my new kettle! I loved the new kettle but I did think I might need to be careful about increasing the amount of caffeine I consumed. I consciously made sure today was a zero spend and zero alcohol day but tomorrow I did need to go food shopping as I didn’t have much in, especially as I had missed the Saturday market yesterday. I decided to set my budget for the first week of the new month at just £50, although strictly speaking I could have put it at £140 – I chose not to so that £90 could go in to my emergency/travel fund.
Captain Caveman got back fine and I had my first proper meal of the day at 8.20pm, just a pasta dish that I knocked up. I’d not even left the house today.

Gratitude List
1. Catching up on stuff after 2 days off
2. Having good blog stats
3. A zero spend day to get me back on track.

After tea, toast and a couple of hours of work on Monday 2nd March, I decided to pop to the shops to stock back up. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira:

Migros Supermarket
4 small milk 51.60
Bananas 52.36
Olives 61.50
1 Sweet potato 64.17
Chickpeas 69.95
Rye loaf 85.00
Soy sauce 89.97
Mozzarella cheese 169.90
Total spent 644.45 lira (£10.92)

I’ve been buying my milk in small cartons to reduce waste. If I buy a normal sized carton, there’s a chance I don’t use it all before it goes off and I don’t like to waste it. I had tried putting it in to ice cube trays but I’m not convinced it’s as good with my Yorkshire tea. There was also a shortage of meat on the shelves so I would have to try again later or tomorrow.
While I was looking at my copy of ‘The Handy Travel Planner’, which I’m using a lot, I noticed I’d already added Israel and Iran to countries I wouldn’t visit, before any war started. The planner was proving to be better than I thought for mult-trip planning.
I had a check of flights to the UK to see Captain Caveman when he returned from Vietnam at Easter. I could get a one way without luggage for £30 and I almost booked it. It’s a good job I didn’t as Captain Caveman said not to bother as he was down to work on site over the Easter weekend. We toyed with the idea of me going back at the end of April/beginning of May but the flight prices were higher, my parents were arriving in Dalyan around then and I was looking forward to seeing them. I didn’t book anything and decided to see how things went.
That evening I had been invited round to dinner with Jamie, Drew and Nanny Kay so I called at the Yaman Büfe 2, off licence, and picked up a bottle of wine for 300 lira (£5.08). When I got there Jamie ordered me a phone case from Trendyol as he’s got an account and I gave him the 400 lira (£6.78) cash for it. I had no idea if this was a good deal but to me it felt like an absolute bargain to not have a broken phone if I should drop it. Norman was pleased to have visitors and he was keen to get a snaffle of something, as usual. We discussed requirements for his 15th birthday and Nanny Kay very kindly agreed to make a carrot cake for the occasion.
We had a lovely homemade meal of shepherd’s pie and plenty of wine. It was pretty late when I got home having had a good day where I’d spent a total of £22.78, mainly as I had only done half a good shop.

Gratitude List
1. Allocating more budget in March
2. A walk and a shop for fresh air
3. Dinner & wine with friends