Dalyan – 24th & 25th February

Unfortunately, there was a full power outage, from 7am, in Dalyan on Saturday 24th February but Jamie had sent me a warning about it. This gave me a good excuse that I would have to have breakfast from the market today. I got up and sorted out Norman and Edna, then made a cup of Yorkshire tea with Jamie’s whistling kettle on the gas hob! It seemed a bit cold so I got on the sofa with the dogs and a blanket while I drank my tea and caught up with a few online chores. I went to the weekly market and here’s what I bought (prices in lira);

Mushrooms 15
Potatoes 18
Bananas 55
Strawberries 100
Apples and Chestnuts 125
1 cheese and mushroom gözleme 75
Total spent 388 lira (£9.95)

I’d got talking to Cath and Keith while I was picking bananas out and unfortunately instead of the 5 I wanted to buy going in to my bag, I got a whole bunch of them. The gözleme had increased in price a bit more too, but I didn’t think 75 lira (£1.92) for breakfast was unreasonable. The walk home was sweaty and my bag was heavy. I had cucumber water and rose tea, some strawberries and the gözleme when I got back to Jamie’s. For lunch I just had a red apple and a litre of cucumber water. I sunbathed outside for a bit and even had to pop on some suncream as it was warm. By 4pm we were all back indoors cooling down and I was going to have a shower before the dog walk. I got in the shower but the water was cold and it turned out that, because of the power outage earlier, the boiler was off. I messaged Jamie so he could get the plumber out. I could’ve gone over to our apartment for a shower but I didn’t bother. We did the dog walk, avoided the pub or any alcohol and I had a sweet and sour chicken with rice for dinner.
On the sofa I caught up with The Apprentice on TV and even Edna couldn’t believe how stupid some of the candidates were.

There was a bit of activity on Sunday 25th February; I was joining the Sunday walk which Carol (from Fat Club) had organised, the plumber was coming to fix the boiler and I was joining an online launch party with Lisa Johnson later.
I didn’t have a cup of tea this morning as I needed to get Norman and Edna sorted and fed before I left for the Sunday walk. Norman knew it was a Sunday and was stood at the bottom of the stairs trying to get me to take him back to bobos. I nearly didn’t go on the walk because the plumber was coming at 1pm and I wasn’t sure we’d be back in time, given we were walking to the Sultaniye mud baths. Carol had confirmed we should be back in time so I’d agreed to meet at the Denizkızı ferry. I met Tina (from Fat Club) and her hubby, Paddy, at Tez bar at 9.30am and we walked the 20 minutes to the meeting point together. It was quite a turn out and I said hello to a few of the walkers as we got on the ferry to cross the river. The ferry was just 10 lira (26p) each way for a foot passenger which was a bargain for the short trip. Ghislaine loaned me the use of Honey, her 13 year old spaniel, who could certainly motor but did like to pee a lot. It was quite a hard walk for me and unfortunately we didn’t get to the mud baths until gone 11.30am. This meant that, because I had insisted that I be back by 1pm, the group couldn’t enjoy any time at the mudbaths. We all had a quick pee, I was the only woman to brave the squat toilet, as I was in practice for my travels next month.

The walk back was hard and we stopped off for a drink at Pirates and Skulls, a nice little cafe. I just had an orange juice and tried to get the correct information on the times of the ferries. I had a panic on as I possibly wouldn’t be back in time for the plumber or to let the dogs out after them being alone after almost 4 hours. I messaged Jamie to see if he could delay the plumber, paid the 70 lira (£1.79) for my orange juice and decided to go for the ferry anyway. Ausaf, Lyn, Debbie and Christine came too, leaving some of the group having a few bevvies. The ferry turned out to go back and forth without a timetable so we were in luck, as well as Christine coming to the rescue with her hubby, Jez, picking us up at the other side and dropping me at Jamie’s.
I was more concerned with being late to let the dogs out but they were fine and snoozing away. I’d just let them out on the back garden when the plumber turned up and he fixed the boiler really quickly. Norman and Edna knew him so, of course, Edna had to get some male attention from the nice man!
For lunch I had a chicken pasta dish while Norman wanted to know why I’d been on a walk with another dog! I felt a bit guilty and even worse when I had to do only a short dog walk with them because I could hardly walk myself.
For dinner I had miso soup with egg noodles and lots of fruit salad. At 11pm I joined the launch party Facebook live with Lisa Johnson and a massive number of other people. It was really motivating and encouraged me to get on and start taking some action. I was really excited for next week’s free course and was glad my friend, Heather, had prompted me to get involved. Finding a job with my unique requirements and talents was going to prove difficult, but setting up in business might just suit me better. By bedtime I was still hungry and had to have a buttered crumpet with cheese and olives. This meant I was already on 174 syns for the week. I’d had a great day and had only spent 90 lira (£2.31) but tomorrow was my last full day with Norman and Edna.

Dalyan – 3rd & 4th February

It was Dalyan’s weekly market on Saturday 3rd February and I did need a few provisions. I walked the long way round, calling at the bank for some cash and noticing that the pavement repairs were coming on near Çağrı.
Here’s what I bought at the market (prices in lira);

Onions 12.50
Peppers 42.50
Mushrooms and tomatoes 65
Eggs and pumpkin 75
Strawberries 100
Total spent 295 lira (£7.66)

Next, I called in to Şok supermarket where I bought some containers and a cheap birthday gift for a total of 109.40 lira (£2.84) for a party later. At Bim supermarket I bought more for the birthday gift, bread and chocolate milk for a total of 89.00 lira (£2.31).
Back home, I had more of the soup with veggie pasta in and a mini falafel taco with veggies and tahini.

That evening I got my gladrags on as we were off out for Aimee’s birthday, she’s Jamie’s best friend from the UK. At Bistro Blue there were Aimee, Scott, Jamie, me, Sioned, Ünal, their 2 kids, Katrina, Mehmet and Ann. I gave Aimee her small present which was a selection of my favourite Turkish chocolate bars for her to try. Jamie, Aimee, Ann and I all ordered the surf and turf which was very nice. I decided to stick to ordering a glass of wine so that I didn’t get sharing a bottle as I was pacing myself. I had just 2 red wines and the main course which came to a total of 1,160 lira (£30.13) including a tip. I thought that was a reasonable price although it wasn’t a huge portion.
I thought we were all going home after the food we went to Ozzy’s where the drinks flowed. I stuck to just 2 more wines, 220 lira (£5.71) but realised it might be time to leave when Jamie brought up a story about a broken fire extinguisher toy. I, sensibly, chose to skedaddle about 1am with the excuse that I had the Sunday walk to get up for in the morning.

I was awake before 9am on Sunday 4th February as I was getting ready for the Sunday walk. This time Carol (from Fat Club) was organising it so we had to meet at 10am at the Jandarma roundabout, out of town. This was a 20 minute walk from me so I was already quite warmed up by the time I met the others. I didn’t really feel like going after a late night but I thought I’d make the effort. I’d had strawberries and a lemon and green tea for my breakfast so I was ready for some exercise.
The walk was good but, crikey, it was the most I’ve ever done in one go – 4 hours 15 minutes I was walking for and I was done in by the time I got home.

I squeezed in beans on toast, strawberries, quark and honey for my lunch and a little sit down before my next lot of excitement, 15 minutes later.
Vanessa popped round for a cup of tea and she remembered I was getting short on Yorkshire tea bags and brought some. We had a few cups of tea and a good old natter, putting the world to rights! She left just before 4.30pm for her family WhatsApp chat and I had a video call with a freshly shaven Captain Caveman. He was in a hotel and was off for a few days over the Tet holiday (Vietnamese new year).
We discussed flights and we both were thinking the return flights were a bit expensive for my budget, I’d perhaps wait for at least another payday before booking anything.
After the call, I went to the shops. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Ginger 16.09
Cream cheese 34.00
Onion powder 46.90
672g chicken 117.53
Total spent 214.52 lira (£5.60)

I’d found a new recipe I wanted to try out and it turned out really well, the chicken and mushroom pasta could be a new favourite. I had some fruit cake and cheese as an evening snack which meant I was now on 202 syns so far this week, but I’d only had 10 today. I’d have to be very careful on tomorrow’s outing.

Dalyan – 28th January

I’d agreed to go on the walk on Sunday 28th January, having missed out on the one that was organised last week. This week a lady from Zumba, Jacks, had let me know the details. It was going to be organised by Bev, the new lady from İçmeler walking group, and her hubby, Steve. It was a round walk going from outside Tez bar via Eskiköy and all on the flat. I put all the ingredients in the slow cooker for a chicken curry for dinner. I had a cup of Yorkshire tea and a tangerine before I set off. There were loads of people for the walk this week, including some people from the İçmeler walking group. The Aussies had also joined but they were much faster than me. In fact, it turned out I was very slow and didn’t even see Michele, Jackie or Carol, who were at the front, the whole way round the walk. I walked mainly with Ghislaine, Jacks, and Debbie who are great company on a walk. We stopped for tea in Eskiköy which was nice and the cafe was really cheap. Steve was a real help to me as he kept at the back to help with the route. He told me the directions once I became the last person at the back as I couldn’t keep up with everyone else. There wasn’t really an end to the walk, as by the time I’d got back to town, everyone had gone their own way. The Aussies had zoomed off as they had a friend to meet.

I got home after walking for 3.5 hours and had 4 pieces of chocolate, a shower and leftover chicken stir-fry with egg rice for lunch. The slow cooker curry was coming on a treat and I was looking forward to that for dinner. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was incredibly cold in Phong Nha and couldn’t get warm. I told him to wear my monkey trousers for bed to keep cosy and he did.
I was still hungry after eating the delicious curry so I had a small wrap made in to a mini pizza. I’d only had 13 syns today so was pleased with that, but tomorrow I had more Monday plans! I decided I was going to cancel my belated birthday plans for Thursday as I now work on Fridays, initially thinking I would move it to Friday or Saturday but, if I’m honest, I just wasn’t feeling it and money was tight. I sent a message out and cancelled the group event.

Dalyan – 21st January

I woke up at 10.15am on Sunday 21st January, took a cup of tea back to bed and did a bit of blogging.
For lunch I made a chicken stir-fry with a spoonful of black bean sauce and it was lovely. The Aussies came round, bringing me some spare white paint and we moved the table. I walked as far as the main road with them and then popped to the shop for wine as I’d decided to call in on Vanessa, now that I was back home. I paid 259 lira (£6.74) for 2 bottles of Rituel white wine and walked the long way round. I passed my parents place and had a quick check to see it looked well. Brinny, Debbie (Darling)’s dog, said hello as I went past her house.
Vanessa and I had a good afternoon and even sat out in the sun on the balcony as we drank wine with soda and chatted.
When I looked at my phone about 7pm, I saw on Facebook that there had been a Sunday Walk today but I had not known there was one and missed it. From the photos it looked good and quite a few of my friends had gone, including Fat Club Carol! There was a note that Bev (a new lady in town) would take the walk next week so I was determined to go on that one. Vanessa had made a shepherd’s pie so we had some of that and more wine. When Matt got back from the pub, Vanessa and I were very merry, we had not even noticed the weather outside. I had to borrow a raincoat and an umbrella to walk home and Vanessa said I turned the wrong way out of the gate when I left, as I turned left but they expected me to go right. I knew a shortcut on to pomegranate lane but I probably shouldn’t have gone that way drunk and in the dark. The arık (small canal) was full of water and no one would have found me if I’d slipped and fell in it! I didn’t recall getting home, going to bed or setting an alarm for the trip I’d been looking forward to for tomorrow!

Dalyan – 12th to 14th January

I spent the morning of Friday 12th January chatting to friends over messenger and having a quiet morning.
For lunch I met Nanny Kay at Lukka bar, where I had a rather tasty Spaghetti Bolognese and she had a steak sandwich. The portions were large and I took half of mine home. It tasted really good and it was nice and warm in there.
For dinner I had a Slimming World Hunter’s Chicken with rice which I also enjoyed. I’d took to doing batch cooking which worked out great for avoiding any waste and kept costs right down – I was getting very good at it too.

I spent the morning of Saturday 13th January packing my bags, for another dog sitting stint at Jamie’s. Nanny Kay picked me up as I had bags and she was taking Jamie to the airport so it made sense. She was super helpful in taking me to the market on the way so I could pick up some provisions, rather than having to come back and carry it. I didn’t go mad but I bought bananas, peppers, broccoli and chestnuts for a total of 160 lira (£4.17) and we drove to Jamie’s. Norman and Edna were so excited to see me and little Norman seemed to be doing better than he was last time. Edna was just happy that we might get to go to the Waterfall to see Skippy. After saying bye to the humans, I played with Norman and Edna for a while then I ate my leftover Spaghetti Bolognese from yesterday. Vanessa popped round for a cup of tea and a natter. Edna was pleased as she had worked out that the probability of a pub visit had increased.
At the Waterfall, Vanessa and I had a couple of white wine and sodas before going to our respective homes for dinner. I had a beef stew for mine with 2 Yorkshire puddings (out of the freezer) and it was so tasty.
At 8.30pm I got to speak to Captain Caveman. It was 12.30am already there so he was tired – we didn’t speak for long. He’d got a day off tomorrow but then was working on Monday evening, back in the cave on Tuesday.
My cough had still not gone and I required 4 pillows to sleep with, I had a nice shower, got my pyjamas on and was in bed for 10.40pm on a Saturday night.

It was my first full day with Norman and Edna on Sunday 14th January. I was awake at 5.50am but I stayed in bed until 7.30am. I let the dogs out and made myself a cup of tea, I had my overnight oats for breakfast. Norman’s back legs were still a bit weak so it was necessary to make sure he got help eating, drinking and going to the toilet. For lunch I had vegetable egg fried rice which was tasty and Slimming World friendly. I got peckish in the afternoon though so, instead of something snacky, I made myself a SW veggie pizza and synned the wrap. For dinner I used the rest of the SW Hunters Chicken turned in to a pasta bake and had a small portion of that. I resisted any wine, despite the health benefits, and was lucky enough to have another video call with Captain Caveman. It’s very rare we speak 2 days in a row, but it was lovely to see that he was enjoying being back at work and in Phong Nha. The passport photos I had sent to Captain Caveman were useless as, apparently, you need to see my ears. I had to do them again so that he could apply for my visa for me. We decided I would go in a couple of month’s time and stay for the 90 days.

Dalyan – 7th January

On Sunday 7th January I’d been invited to join my parents at Adam and Kath’s house at 4pm for a Sunday lunch type meal. I decided I would get the bus and go for a drink but not stay as it clashed with the dogs’ dinner time. Big Boy tried to tell me he would like the first walk for a change but I explained that Lucy would bark until we got back so she had to go first. He was patient as he’s such a good dog.
For breakfast I had fruit and then I forgot to have any lunch, for some reason.
I was surprised to see that the fire from last night was still burning, not bad to say Captain Caveman and Dad were both giving me tips on how to do a proper fire.
I got sent a photo of Captain Caveman from Bich at the Phong Nha Farmstay, he was there having a beer and the eggplant dish that we both like. He looked happy and relaxed, which was nice.
I was going to get the bus in to Dalyan but it was raining very heavily so I paid 150 lira (£3.96) for a taxi. It wasn’t Fikri who came so the driver dropped me at the bank instead of my parents’. Luckily, the rain eased up for me to get to my parents from the bank. It started again as we walked to Adam and Kath’s but it wasn’t far. Ma and Pa took a few beers and a bottle of red wine, I took a bottle of red wine too. I did ask my parents if that was enough as they usually end up staying there late. I opened my bottle when we got there and shared it with Dad. Mark, Kate, Daisy, John and Andrea were already there and my mom opened a beer.
I ordered a taxi at 6pm as it was raining and dinner time for the dogs. Luckily I’d had just about enough time to finish the bottle of red wine with Dad and he still had one more to drink. I said my goodbyes and went back to Villa Infinity where Lucy had taken issue at my lateness. She wanted her chicken dinner and she wanted it now!
I fed the dogs then warmed up mine – wild boar stew. This time I had it with a glass of red wine, but just a small one as I still had the cough. Tomorrow was my parents’ last night so we had plans for a farewell meal out.

Dalyan – 30th & 31st December

I woke up on Saturday 30th December and went downstairs to check on Norman and Edna. After a wander around the patio, Edna wolfed down her breakfast but Norman was not too eager to eat, he also was refusing to drink any water, which was odd. After several cups of tea and a back to bobos on the sofa session it was time to go to the market.
Captain Caveman had come over from Villa Infinity so that we could shop together but he could take what was needed at Bill & Jaxx’s house and I could keep the rest at Jamie’s.

Here’s what we bought at the Dalyan weekly market but I didn’t make a note of all the individual prices.
2kg Tangerines
2 onions
Spinach
3 red peppers
1 green pepper
2 apples
6 bananas
Spent 145 lira (£3.87)

Gözleme x2 110 lira (£2.93)

When we got back, Captain Caveman and I took the dogs for a walk, to the Waterfall. They like it in there and Norman loved a nosey from his pushchair as to what was going on. I just had a soft drink because I felt rubbish but I was trying to chivvy myself up a bit for tonight’s party at Ghislaine’s. I went back to Jamie’s and Captain Caveman went back over to see to Big Boy and Lucy. Unfortunately, Norman had had an accident in his pram and needed another wash.
Captain Caveman came back before 7pm, all dressed up and ready for a party. I felt worse and couldn’t go but I packed off Captain Caveman with 2 bottles of fizz and 3 bags of marshmallows. Mark & Kate and Carol & Ian were going to be there so he’d know other people and he does love a curry.
I ended up having my homemade pumpkin soup and an early night, napping on the sofa with the dogs. I really hoped to be better for tomorrow, as there was a Sunday walk, it was New Year’s Eve, I’d not seen my parents since Christmas Day and our friends, the Aussies, were arriving.

Historically, New Year’s Eve has not been the best time for me as I’m usually sick. Sunday 31st December was no different and I woke up feeling terrible. I’d hardly slept from coughing all night and when I finally got to sleep, Edna had come scratching at my door at 5am. I was coughing a lot, my body ached and I had to use an inhaler once I started coughing as I couldn’t breathe properly.
When I eventually went downstairs at 7am, Edna had been sick on the rug and on the sofa, which is not like her. So now we were the poorly trio and it was time for cups of tea and back to bobos on the sofa, after all the scrubbing and putting a wash on. Both dogs were off their food and I forced down a banana so that I could take my medication. I called in sick to Captain Caveman’s Sunday walk which was his last until next October. He’d organised the walk so that it finished at Günlüklu restaurant but I wasn’t fit enough to make it and didn’t want to pass on my germs.
I spent the day with Norman and Edna, forcing Norman to drink water as I think he was dehydrated. After a very short walk, we sat out on the patio and had a little sunbathe, while dosed up on flu medicines and drinking cups of tea.
Kate had arranged a New Year’s Eve bash at Tapa bar for this evening and I thought nearly all of our Dalyan friends were going. I’d likely be in my pyjamas by the time it went dark, cuddled up with the dogs. Even my parents were going to stay in as they weren’t well either. The Aussie’s, Amanda and Greg, had messaged to ask where the party was and where we were all meeting up but the best I could do was send them the invite to Tapa for tonight.
In the afternoon I tried to get in touch with Captain Caveman and couldn’t, I assumed he’d gone to Günlüklu and carried on having a new year drink there but when he did respond he’d gone to bed feeling poorly after the walk. He was flying back to Vietnam in a couple of days and really could do without getting ill for his journey.
I had nothing planned for dinner and really couldn’t be bothered to make anything, I was down to my last Strepsil, which were giving me a dodgy tum and I had no hot lemons left. I decided to go to the chemist but when I got there it was already closed for new year. There would have been an alternative open but I couldn’t walk that far. I decided to go to Migros and see what they had in the freezer section for dinner and I thought some sucky sweets might help my cough and sore throat.
Here’s what I bought from the shop with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
2 Dido chocolate bars 15.75
2 packs of wine gums 21.00
1 chocolate Magnum 25.00
1 Ginger Ale 43.00
1 box of frozen pizzas 95.92
1.6Kg whole chicken 115.06
1 bottle of Prosecco 279.90
Total spent 595.63 lira (£15.88)

I was impressed with a decent bottle of fizz for less than £7.50 and a full sized Magnum ice-cream only being 67p. I wondered why I hadn’t had one before now, as I ate it on the way back to Jamie’s – it soothed my throat better than a Strepsil. I saw Fikri and he wished me a happy new year, which was nice, as he rode past on his motorbike. I popped the stuff in the fridge and had one of the frozen pizzas for dinner, they weren’t bad. I had no intention of drinking the fizz tonight but I thought my parents and Captain Caveman may want to pop by tomorrow to raise a glass to the new year. I had fell asleep watching TV but woke up before midnight and went to bed.

That’s another year of my Shenanigans done, it finished the way it started; snuggled up with a pet in someone else’s house.
What a year it had been, it’s hard to remember sometimes how much happens.
Overall, I ended 2023 weighing 4.7kg (10lb) lighter than I started it, which I was pleased about.
2024 looked to be a little uncertain, with a few challenges to suss out but I was hopeful things would work out in my favour.
With Captain Caveman and my parents leaving in January, I was gearing myself up for a quiet Dalyan winter. My priority was to earn enough money to keep my residency and continue on the Slimming World plan to keep the weight off. I didn’t make any new year’s resolutions, as I never stick to them, but I did make a note to prioritise my health a bit more.

Dalyan – 16th & 17th December

Of course I was hungover (again) on Saturday 16th December and it was raining heavily. I spent all morning in bed and felt bad when we couldn’t even make it to the weekly market. When I did venture downstairs, I made myself an egg and banana pancake, with persimmon and quark for a very late breakfast.
There was a Christmas treat auction being held at River House at 2pm but I was in no fit state to make it. Even if I were physically able to attend, I really didn’t need to break my diet for excessive treats that I hadn’t budgeted for anyway so I wasn’t too bothered about missing it.
It was date night for our 12 year anniversary tonight and we decided we would just go to Lukka bar, with the weather being so wet. I’d tried to get booked in for my hair doing but I couldn’t get an appointment until next Friday. At Lukka I ordered soda water while Captain Caveman insisted on a bottle of red wine. I was absolutely begging for mercy as Çetin, the waiter, poured us a glass each of the red Buzbağ wine. For starters Captain Caveman wanted pâté but they didn’t have that, instead he had cheesy garlic bread, I had garlic mushrooms. Both starters were great and Captain Caveman even shared his starter with me. For main course he had pepper steak and I went for one of my old favourites, sweet and sour chicken. Both came with homemade chips which were nice and we enjoyed our food. I only managed about a glass of the wine while Captain Caveman drank the rest. I started to feel quite unwell before we had left to go home and I even had to go home before Captain Caveman, with some leftovers in a bag. Our anniversary celebration night out cost us just less than £50 in English money equivalent.
Back at home, I felt quite unwell and thought I might spoil date night by having to have an early night by myself. By the time I’d come out of the bathroom, Captain Caveman was on the sofa, fast asleep and snoring, it was only 9.15pm!

My parents and I joined Captain Caveman on his weekly walk on Sunday 17th December. It was a sunny day for the 12km so I could just about manage that. As we left home I noticed that the person who was staying in the apartment opposite us, had a German Shepherd dog and it was on the front balcony, barking. Captain Caveman and I assumed the Turkish woman who was inside was the cleaner who had brought her dog to work with her.
After the walk Captain Caveman, my parents and I had lunch at the Kefal tea gardens. I was good and had 2 big Turkish teas while the others had beers. I accidentally ordered a chicken döner sandwich instead of a cheese and onion toastie but it was rather tasty. It did mean that I’d gone over 300 syns for the week now so Wednesday’s Fat Club weigh-in was certainly looking a bit dicey.
Here’s what we had and the prices in lira;

2 çay 20
1 chips 50
1 chicken döner sandwich 65
2 cheese toasties 90
2 mixed toasties 100
4 Efes Malt 300
Total spent 625 lira (£16.90)

Not a bad lunch for less than £5 per person on average.
That evening, I made enchiladas for dinner using up lots of defrosted leftovers from various meals out. It was lovely but I was ready for an early night as it would be a busy day off work tomorrow.

Dalyan – 10th to 12th December

Norman, Edna and I had quite a lazy day on Sunday 10th December; I was on my second cup of tea and the dogs were still in their bed when Captain Caveman set off for his Sunday walk. He’d woken me up at 7.45am when he noisily emptied the dishwasher, so I’d been awake early but was still lounging about. I had my overnight oats made with quark and persimmon for breakfast then had a banana and egg Slimming World style pancake as a second breakfast. It was cold and misty out so I just did a short walk with the dogs before coming back for snuggles on the sofa.
Lunch was lentil soup with bread and cheese once Captain Caveman returned from his walk.
Jamie was due back about 7pm so we left after feeding the dogs. For our dinner we had pasta with sucuk (Turkish sausage) and veg which Captain Caveman cooked at home.

Monday 11th December was the start of my last week at work for 2023 and I had decided to split my hours between today through to Wednesday. Captain Caveman went to the dog shelter while I cracked on after my cup of Yorkshire tea, a banana and a tangerine.
I finished work at 1.15pm and heated up more lentil soup for lunch, by which time Captain Caveman had returned home. We had a chocolate bar and a tangerine then had a leisurely afternoon.
For dinner I heated up the lasagne and we had it with green beans. Later, we started watching 1899 on Netflix and had homemade popcorn as a snack.

On Tuesday 12th December I had a cup of tea, a banana and a tangerine for breakfast then got on with work until 1.15pm.
Captain Caveman was at Bridge Club but we reconvened for lunch. I reheated some chicken and vegetable curry and we had it with the remaining bread which needed eating up.
In the afternoon we went shopping, here’s what we bought with the amount spent in lira;

Migros Supermarket
1 tin tomatoes 29.90
15 eggs 60.00
622g Chicken thighs 62.14
Frozen fruit 79.90
2 IPA beers 111.00
Total spent 342.94 lira (£9.42)

Millennium shop
1 laundry powder scoop
3 Yorkshire pudding bowls
1 metal tongues
Total spent 125 lira (£3.43)

Captain Caveman treated us to 0.5kg of brisket which was 200 lira (£5.49) from the local butchers. I was looking forward to seeing if the ceramic pots we had bought would be good for airfryer Yorkshire puddings.
For dinner I decided to try something new from one of the Slimming World books, chicken and cauliflower bake. It was a great success and even Captain Caveman had seconds despite not being a fan of cauliflower.
My weekly syns total ended on 306 which, from past experience, would mean I would have put weight on at Fat Club tomorrow.

Dalyan – 3rd to 5th December

Sunday 3rd December was a wonderful day spent with Captain Caveman and seeing my my parents. Captain Caveman had arranged another easy Sunday walk which all of us went on. Surprisingly, we weren’t hungover but the fresh air certainly did us good and I really enjoyed the walk. I’d started to get to know a few other Dalyan Dwellers that I wouldn’t necessarily see in the bars and was enjoying that. The walk was really nice despite me, Ma and Debbie taking a wrong turn (too busy chatting) and getting a bit lost. It was only 7.4km but my body could certainly tell I’d done it.
Back home for lunch I did us each a portion of lasagne (the one with lentils and cabbage in) in the airfryer, it looked rather well done but tasted great. We spent the afternoon relaxing in front of the TV and it was the first day I’d actually started to feel it was getting a bit nippy.
For dinner I did us a roast chicken dinner and, not being content with my airfryer Yorkshire pudding process, I tried making one giant pud directly in the basket. This tasted good but didn’t rise as well as I expected, I needed to find some heavier ‘tins’ to fit in the airfryer. The meal was lovely and we had spare leftover for another dinner, we didn’t have any alcohol as I was already on 270 syns for the week and had work tomorrow.

There was not much going on, but work, on Monday 4th December. Captain Caveman went to help at the Dog shelter to keep out of my way. I had cheese spread on bread and a cup of Yorkshire tea for breakfast. I stopped work for a quick lunch with Captain Caveman, he made a veggie pasta which was nice. I drank green tea in the afternoon and had a couple of tangerines when I finished work. I’d made a slow cooker chicken curry for dinner. More fruit was had for snacks and I had no alcohol.

Captain Caveman went to Bridge club on the morning of Tuesday 5th December, but not before bringing me a cup of Yorkshire tea in bed. For breakfast I was back on to having overnight oats to be healthy.
I had some work to finish off so I did that until noon, when I was then done for the week. Next week would be my last week to work before Christmas.
When I finished work I popped to the shops to stock up on a few bits, here’s what I bought and the cost in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Chickpeas 19.90
Margarine 25.00
4 Quark 63.80
Sanitary Towels 73.38
630g chicken breast 106.47
Total spent 288.55 lira (£7.91)

For lunch we had beans on wholemeal toast, they were Tom’s homemade baked beans which were really good, they tasted just like Heinz. Captain Caveman had his with a fried egg on top.
Around 3.30pm Captain Caveman and I went for a little walk and popped in to the off licence, Yaman Büfe 2, to top up our wine shelf. Rituel wine had now gone up to 125 lira (£3.42) per bottle and it was pretty good. We got plenty in as we spent 867.50 (£23.77) in total on wine and snacks.
We had a cheeky drink at Tez bar as the sun was shining and Captain Caveman made us a Slimming World style sweet and sour chicken with steamed rice for dinner. It was delicious and I’d definitely have it again.
That evening we were invited over for a cheese and wine night with Jamie, Drew, Nanny Kay and Ann. We had a great evening with lots of wine, cheese and laughs. I stupidly left my phone at home and Captain Caveman did take a couple of photos but he preferred to be snaffling down the buffet!
My week’s syn total completely tipped over the edge to 338, so I would have to accept the inevitable tomorrow at Fat Club.

Dalyan – 24th to 27th November

After a cuppa and the dog walk on Friday 24th November, I tidied up and got myself ready to meet our Aussie/Viet friends for the last time. They were off this afternoon, on their journey to Istanbul, via some remaining archeological places. Captain Caveman had gone to Bridge so I met Veronika at Pier Gusto for a hot beverage. Bich and the kids joined us shortly after and we all had drinks while I listened to the tale of the missing hotel master key. I opened my purse to pay and found that I had picked up the white plastic card (the key) at the tea gardens yesterday, not realising what or who’s it was. They were delighted and it saved them paying for a new one.
We decided on a spot of lunch at Çağrı where we had a selection of food both off the menu and from the chiller cabinet. Bich had a beef stew but found it a bit salty, Veronika enjoyed her soup, I had chicken casserole with rice, Micheal and Howie had chicken wings. Captain Caveman joined us later and snuck in a Lamuchan and the kids leftovers. I couldn’t manage all of mine and took the rest home for the freezer. Ben didn’t join for food but swung by in the car to collect everyone. It was a lovely last lunch and I was definitely sad to see our friends leave. I was already looking forward to seeing them again in Phong Nha.
I was meant to meet Vanessa in the afternoon but she had already been to Kefal tea gardens while I had arranged to meet Adele at the Kaunos tea gardens. It is walking distance but Vanessa had a bad foot and she thought it may rain. We saw Adele and then went back to Jamie’s for more cute dog cuddles and to eat some lasagne (with cabbage in it!) for dinner. By 9.30pm everyone, but me, was having a bit of a snooze.

Saturday 25th should have been the Dalyan Winter Fayre but it was postponed to next week, due to the bad weather. I was slightly relieved as, I wouldn’t be getting paid until next week and I didn’t have any spare cash. We stayed in with the dogs and watched TV as more storms were predicted.

For the next 2 days I didn’t do much, aside from looking after dogs. On Sunday 26th November Captain Caveman did the Sunday walk. The rain had temporarily stopped so he and the one other walker were lucky with the weather but everyone else had been put off. Captain Caveman got some great photos and I wish I’d gone for the exercise, he said it would have been too difficult for me.

Because we were house and dog sitting for just the weekend, I moved my working day on Monday 27th, to later in the week. It would be easier back home to save bringing my laptop over and when Captain Caveman is out. The storm at not done any further damage aside from knocking a few outdoor plants over, and moving the patio furniture, which was lucky.
We got Jamie a shepherd’s pie out of the freezer to defrost for him tomorrow and Norman and Edna snuggled up with Captain Caveman.

Photo credit – Captain Caveman

Dalyan – 18th & 19th November

Norman, Edna and I were out in the garden by 7.30am on Saturday 18th November. I had a cup of tea before their walk and they came to snuggle or lick me. They are so cute but they were also a bit miffed that they had to sleep downstairs.
By 9.30am Captain Caveman and I were at the weekly Saturday market, getting our fresh fruit and vegetables. Here’s what we bought and the prices in lira:

Market stall 1
Green peppers & tomatoes 20

Market stall 2
Leeks & red peppers 35

Market stall 3
Potatoes & onions 63

Market stall 4
Pumpkin & mushrooms 70

Market stall 5
Bananas & grapes 72

Market stall 6
Tangerines 10

Total spent 270 lira (£7.61)

For breakfast we had a gözleme each; my cheese and mushroom was 60 lira, Captain Caveman’s 50 lira which was a total of £3.10 and definitely worth it as they are so lovely.
By 11.30am the pooches were having a snooze, which they absolutely love, while the 2 of us ate grapes and tangerines. By 2.30pm there was a bad storm that took us a bit by surprise, and it was game over for the rest of the day.
At 6pm the rain eased enough for us to have a short dog walk. For dinner we had a sausage pasta dish which was very tasty. The dogs love Captain Caveman and so they were all snuggled up and snoring before 10pm.

Captain Caveman had arranged a Dalyan walk on Sunday 19th November which was an easier one than last week. I decided I would join them for a bit of exercise. I had a banana and a cup of tea (Jamie has Tetley’s) for breakfast and we took the dogs out. Captain Caveman nipped home to get something so I met everyone at the Kaunos tea gardens. Captain Caveman was late so people were asking me why. He’s rarely on time, but pretends it’s me who makes him late because I’m slow. It was cold when we set off but towards the end it was shorts and T-shirt weather. I only did 11km of it as, ironically, I had to get back to take the dogs out, so I left with 2 others at a spot not too far from Jamie’s.

I had cheese on toast for lunch and, in the afternoon, Captain Caveman and I sat outside on the patio with the dogs as it was glorious weather. We enjoyed a nice rum (or 2) while sitting with Norman and Edna in the afternoon sun. For dinner I banged some ready made falafel in the oven and we had it with wraps, lettuce and some of that huge cabbage that was still going strong.
I was a bit naughty again as Captain Caveman was having kaymak on bread and I couldn’t resist a piece too. I was already on 235 syns for this week so I was going to have to really be careful for the next few days, if I didn’t want to put weight on.

Dalyan – 12th November

When I woke up on Sunday 12th November it was to the sound of the heavy rain and I stayed in bed a bit longer than I should have. Caroline, being the spontaneous unplanning type, decided to book flights from Dalaman to Şanlıurfa, via Istanbul, for tomorrow morning! Oh bugger, we had already agreed to go over to Ben & Hilary’s and my parents this afternoon but Caroline was perhaps going to need us around. Surely, another last supper or celebratory drinking session would have to be be on the cards too.
Caroline packed all her stuff, gave me two lovely winter scarfs, gave Captain Caveman a pair of socks from Sweden then went to meet Kaan in a quiet coffee shop.

The day continued to be full of surprises when we got a message from Ma saying the curry she was about to make us had chillies in. She’d decided to do us a beef stew instead which was very much appreciated. We haven’t been buying beef much recently as it is so much more expensive so I was looking forward to it. We even bought some wine to take with us and had a really lovely meal and evening.

While we were out, we had a message from Caroline to say to meet her at Tez bar, to have a drink before her flight tomorrow. It was raining still so Tez was closed, as were most places so Caroline said she was already at Tapa and to come there. All 4 of us got our coats on and headed down to Tapa bar. The night took a random turn where we ended up playing games, doing tequila shots, singing ‘Sweet Caroline’ (more than once), razzing around on a kid’s scooter and playing pool. Dad and I beat Mom and Ali, the owner, and we didn’t leave until gone 1.30am.

Dalyan – 5th & 6th November

It wasn’t raining when we woke up on Sunday 5th November but the forecast was very bad. Captain Caveman had to postpone the Sunday walk this week and by 10.20am there were dark clouds forming. I’d invited my parents and Kaan to join Captain Caveman, Caroline and I for a Sunday dinner around 5pm that evening.
Caroline had a banana for breakfast, Captain Caveman cooked himself a menemen style meal (tomato and eggs) and I had toast. It started to rain heavily and it looked like no one was going anywhere. I got on with the preparation for our Sunday roast, I cooked the whole chicken, roast potatoes, carrots, leeks and Yorkshire puddings. I messaged Mom to bring the gravy as I realised I had none in. Kaan brought a bottle of red wine and some rakı, my parents brought a bottle of white wine and some beers. Caroline had already started us on the gin with rather ample measures! The meal was nice but I didn’t take any photos, mainly as I was too busy being the hostess with the mostest. Conversation was mainly about Caroline’s forthcoming trip to see the archaeological ruins in the East of Turkey. Kaan stressed his concern of her riding all that way alone as a woman but she is a strong, independent woman. I went on to wine and tried to limit my booze, my parents were the first to leave and Captain Caveman was keeping up with Caroline on the gin. Kaan doesn’t drink much and was taking it easy on the rakı. It was a good job as once a litre of gin had been polished off Captain Caveman and Caroline were keen to move on to the rakı. I was taking it easy as I was scheduled to work tomorrow, talk of Caroline leaving around 10am was fleetingly mentioned but I doubted that would be a good idea.
By the end of the evening, I had gone to bed after Captain Caveman started being argumentative (well, more than usual) and I couldn’t be bothered with it.

I did the right thing by moving my working day from Monday 6th November to split it between Tuesday and Wednesday. Captain Caveman had gone dogging so I spent time with Caroline. She had decided she would postpone her motorbike adventure to Wednesday but she was going to go on a couple of outings in the meantime. She said she doesn’t like to plan too much and would rather go with the flow. I had a couple of Slimming World muffins, strawberries and some cherry juice for brunch then managed a bit of blogging while Caroline got ready to go out for the afternoon.
Captain Caveman arrived back home from the dog shelter, showered, then went to the shop for essentials. Here’s the info:

Şok Supermarket
Bread 25
15 Eggs 55
Fabric Softener 55
Total spent 135 lira (£3.97)

That night Captain Caveman and I had an impromptu night in on our own as Caroline had been asked out on a date. We watched a bit of Netflix and had leftover veggie curry with steamed rice for dinner.

Dalyan – 29th to 31st October

We had a nice relaxing day on Sunday 29th October. Captain Caveman got his bicycle wheel fixed for 135 lira (£3.96) which he was pleased about. We shared a sausage roll and a cheese & onion roll each for breakfast and both agreed they were lovely. For lunch I had cheese spread and bread but I decided to make a vegetable curry in the slow cooker for dinner. While I was chopping the veg, Captain Caveman got a call from our friend Caroline. We know her from Phong Nha, in Vietnam, she lives in Hoi An now and is Australian but had been in Greece for the last month. Caroline had made loose plans to see us in Rhodes but they never materialised so she would like to come and visit us in Dalyan…. tomorrow! Her flight would land in Dalaman airport at 3pm so it was all systems go to make up the spare bed and get the house clean for our friend’s arrival.
We had the veggie curry with steamed rice which was delicious and, of course, we had some spare. We had a few grapes after and wondered how long a visit to Dalyan Caroline was planning.

I worked from 8am until 5pm on Monday 30th October and this would be my last week of working 16 hours. I’d already done some extra from last week so it meant I’d definitely be finished by Tuesday. I had Yorkshire tea and buttered wholemeal toast for breakfast. Captain Caveman went dogging, he likes to walk the dogs at the dog shelter so sometimes he goes up there to help out. He was back for lunch so we had leftover cauliflower mac and cheese.
As we knew Caroline was arriving this afternoon, we asked the taxi to take her to Lukka bar, where Captain Caveman would go to meet her. I would finish working and then join them.
As I was getting changed to go meet Caroline and Captain Caveman, I saw a post on Facebook reporting a dog that had turned up at someone’s house in Dalyan. It looked similar to Debbie (Darling)’s Brinny but had a different collar on. I messaged Debbie (Darling) who said it was Brinny’s sister, owned by a Turkish man.
I also had a message from Kelly, back in the UK, the girls were hoping to be able to book their holiday to Rhodes for next September and had a few questions. It was a long way off but I hoped I’d be able to join them for a holiday.
I met Caroline and Captain Caveman at Lukka bar, she looked well and was dressed for winter despite the warm weather in Dalyan. We had a beer together and she told us a bit about her trip to Greece and Sweden. We couldn’t sit about as we had a night out to get to so it was back home for curry before heading out to Sofra bar. The Bengisu Boys were playing a gig and they are great musicians so it turned in to a good night. By 10pm both Captain Caveman and I were on the Sofra ‘dancefloor’ giving it what-for! Caroline was too cool for dancing with the ‘olds’ but was testing out the drink menu and being acquainted with our friends.
VLS arrived and I did a karaoke song with her. It was awful and I could see that Şükrü would never let me put in another request! By 11.30pm Brinny’s sister, the escaped dog, had found us and was keeping us company. The walk home, at just gone midnight, involved several stray dogs escorting us home and Caroline tried not to get attached, as she loves dogs.

On Tuesday 31st October Captain Caveman went off to Bridge so that I could work in peace, leaving Caroline with me. I had plans at lunch time to go over to Jamie’s as I was looking after his cute little dogs, Norman and Edna, for a few days. It turned out I’d got confused about the amount of hours I needed to work this week as my boss only wanted me to do 8 per week with immediate affect as from last week, so I’d already worked them. It was going to be incredibly tight for money for the next couple of months so it’s a good job we don’t do Christmas presents or celebrate Christmas out here, in Turkey.
I left Caroline to her own devices following a discussion about the use of psilocybin mushrooms for trauma. I packed a bag and headed over to Jamie’s, taking my lunch with me.
Around 1.15pm I was just getting a nice feta cheese salad ready to eat when Captain Caveman arrived at Jamie’s. He was meant to have been going back home to see Caroline for lunch but shared my salad. I sent him over to look after our guest with instructions to keep in touch while I looked after Norman and Edna. I didn’t see or hear from Captain Caveman or Caroline again that evening so I had a lovely quiet one with a leftover chicken and veggie curry. I obviously stayed over at Jamie’s and the pooches wanted to come upstairs to bed with me. I told them they had to sleep in their own bed downstairs and gave them a kiss. I didn’t have any alcohol, it was Fat Club tomorrow and I was only on 273 syns for the week. The Fat Club meeting tomorrow had a taster session that we all had to take something for so I’d brought over my ingredients to make something in the morning.