Dalyan – 20th December

My weekend continued to be eventful and Saturday 20th December was another busy one. I had quotes to do for work, last minute Christmas markets were looking popular this year and luckily, even though I don’t particularly celebrate Christmas, I had been to a few of the European Christmas markets in the past.
It was cold, grey and wintery with rain forecast over the next couple of days in Dalyan. Nanny Kay had kindly given me a couple of black tops, one of which was a jumper and would come in handy for my trip to England. She had also been throwing out her plate collection so I had inherited lots of spare plates. I had to put the weekly market on hold a while because I had been invited for a tea and mince pie with Debbie & Mike. Debbie had also invited Ghislaine and had very kindly baked for us. I had 3 cups of tea while we chatted and caught up on what had been happening. I still needed to go to the market so Ghislaine offered to drop me on her way home.
I didn’t end up buying anything at the market as I started to feel unwell. I called in to the Şevikoğlu Supermarket and bought more Turkish Delight for Captain Caveman’s mom and my mom as they are both partial to it. They serve it fresh at the counter and I just spent the equivalent of a few pounds on 2 different flavours, to complement what I’d already bought yesterday in the fancy shop. On the way home, I walked past the white dogs and said hello to them, they were very pleased to see me and one got belly rubs.
My next friend meet up was with Penny & Phil (I had to pop home to pick up the Forerro Rocher first) and I was still feeling a little unwell. When I got to Ren Garden it was busy with other friends as well and we decided hot drinks and cake would be a good idea. I had a delicious brownie and a hot chocolate for 400 lira (£7.14) and we chatted to the waitress who is very nice.
I had to leave after that to go meet another friend at the Kaunos tea gardens where I had 2 large Turkish teas for 30 lira (54p). I spent most of our 2 hours there going back and forth to the toilet. It just shows that when I decide to break the Slimming World plan, my stomach does not react well to it. Back home I got messages from family and friends who had been on my mailing list to get ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ first. Their copies had arrived and they were delighted. I’d obviously not seen the actual book yet so I was really happy to get photos – they looked good! My first actual sales has started and I really hoped it would do well as I’d put a lot of thought in to how to help people have better holidays by planning.
I just had soup for dinner and went to bed early as I had another busy day coming up tomorrow!

Gratitude List
1. New tops and plates from Nanny Kay
2. Catching up with friends before I flew to England.
3. The first book sales of my new planner.

Dalyan – 18th December

I had to have a bit of a word with myself on Thursday 18th December. I was not getting enough rest, I wasn’t making and eating healthy meals and I wasn’t making time to see friends. So, I agreed to meet a friend at Ren Garden at 4.30pm so that no matter how my day went, I had to put down my laptop and go out. I had a friend in the UK who was having surgery today and I was thinking about how that would go, feeling sorry I wouldn’t be nearby to see them.
On going to open the fixed curtains it turned out one of them wasn’t fixed. I let the fixer know and I got told how to move the string to sort it out myself. It stil cost 1500 (£27), which I thought was amusing but what I was told to do, did work and they looked good.
I spent most of the day really trying to get my head around Canva and produce enough promo content for the next few days, ready for my new book launch day on Monday. It was hard, I didn’t like it, I wanted to quit but I kept going.
I made myself do a walk round the block and call at the bank for the curtain cash, before lunch. I was missing walking Norman and needed to stretch a bit. I called at the shop and bought the following, prices in lira:

BIM Supermarket
Wholemeal loaf 31.50
6 eggs 65.00
125g blueberries 85.00
Total spent 181.50 lira (£3.24)

I had a cheese sandwich for lunch and carried on with the promo designs. My eyes were tired and I was getting a bit tetchy with it, so at 3pm I went to the bank to buy my travel insurance for the UK and Morocco. It cost 1,001.67 lira (£17.89) for my 3 week trip, in 3 separate policies, which wasn’t bad. On the way back home I popped to the off licence and bought a couple of bottles of fizz for something I had arranged for tomorrow. It was 565 lira (£10) per bottle and was one I’d had before. Prosecco is really hard to get decent stuff in Dalyan.
At 4.15pm, as promised, I hurried over to Ren Garden with some of the chocolate for my friend. She had chosen the Forerro Rocher and I obliged, after all I was meant to be on a diet! When I arrived, she wasn’t there so I messaged her to see if she was on her way and I ordered a hot chocolate. They had no idea we had arranged to meet and apologised. I didn’t mind as it meant that I could get back to my Canva and I ended up eating some of the chocolate I was going to give her. It was almost midnight when I finished but it meant I was up to date with my marketing schedule and I could take some time off this weekend.

Gratitude List
1. Getting out and running errands
2. Being on track with my marketing schedule
3. Mastering Canva enough to get some marketing material done.

Link to my new planner here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0G7S5VX47/

Dalyan – 17th December

Just as I was starting to get a bit stressed on Wednesday 17th December, things started to take a turn for the better. I had less than a week before I flew back to the UK and I just had so much to do. I was still concerned about having less money than I had hoped for, so when friends and family were inviting me to do things in the UK with them, I knew I didn’t have the budget. I got my 2026 diary out and started to plan a bit better. I got weighed at home and took my measurements and of course it wasn’t going well. Being back at anywhere near my target weight by Christmas was not going to happen. I had put on 0.35kg (0.8lb) this week and still had to face Carol’s scales this afternoon.
My measurements were;
Bust +1cm
Waist +7cm
Hips +1cm
Yes, 7 centimetres on my waist – unusual and I think I’d eaten something that didn’t agree with me.
I also had the curtain man turn up to fix our curtains and he was the same guy who had fitted them years ago, before we lived there. I had a call from Jamie who had a Resort Experts related query that we worked on together so I didn’t check the curtain man’s work before he left.
I didn’t have time to eat any breakfast or lunch, because I then got a message from Amazon to say they had approved my updated internal pages for ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ and I was ecstatic!!!
This meant I could now start my marketing plan and all the self promoting that I needed to do on social media to get my book sold. Amazon do take quite a cut and, ideally, I needed to sell 3 per day but I wanted to aim for 1 copy per day for now. I’d planned badly and most people had probably done their Christmas shopping by now, which could have had an advantage for me. It also wasn’t just about me making loads of money on book sales (although that would be amazing), I knew the planner could really help people have better holidays. It was also designed to provide opportunities for me to book holidays for more people in 2026 and beyond. I used Canva and some templates from the course I had done with Claire Clarke to produce some promo posts. I’m not good with Canva and it took me a long time, in between holiday related queries and nipping to Fat Club. Carol’s scales were saying similar so I hadn’t been lucky there.
My next Zoom meeting was with Claire Clarke and the Create Publish Grow group – I was excited to report that my planner was finally ready.
At 6.15pm I nipped to the shop, here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Popcorn 13.50
Mentos 22.50
Peanuts 29.75
Crisps 47.90
Pizza toasties 109.80
Pizza 209.00
432.45 lira (£7.72)

I cooked a ready made pizza for dinner, which was probably not a good idea, really, given how massive my stomach had been. I then finished my first promo poster on Canva and it was almost midnight – I thought it looked good, but I would see how my followers (and you) viewed it.
I had a link at the ready for people to buy it once it went live (it is now): https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0G7S5VX47/

Gratitude List
1. My new planner ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ was ready and I could start to let people know it was coming soon.
2. Getting the Canva promo stuff done without giving up or crying
3. Managing to go outside and to the shop.

Dalyan – 11th & 12th December

I was up at 6am on Thursday 11th December, half expecting to come down to Norman having had an accident. He was fast asleep still and only woke up once I’d got comfy under the Christmas blanket on the sofa.
Outside, Norman was still not out of the woods so I made him some egg to mix in with his breakfast. The weather was fine and looked to be good all weekend. It was just 2 weeks until Christmas Day and only 12 days until I saw Captain Caveman again.
I worked all day from the dining room table, including a Resort Experts team meeting.
Norman let me know at lunch time that he needed to be sat in the chair nearest to me. He could see what was going on but then was snoring super loudly within minutes.
I didn’t eat much during the day as I was busy so, at 5.30pm, I downed tools for the dog walk before dinner. I warmed up a chicken dinner and saved Norman a little bit of chicken, which he loved. It had been another zero spend and no alcohol day so I was pleased with that.
I sat down on the sofa to watch something on Netflix but started to fall asleep. I managed about one episode of Drive to Survive, about Formula 1, before I drifted off.

Gratitude List
1. No accidents from Norman
2. Less than 12 days until I arrived in London
3. Chicken dinner.

By 7.15am on Friday 12th December, Norman and I had been out and we were having some sofa snuggles. Usually when Edna had been with us, she had taken the priority spot for morning strokes but now Norman quietly put himself against my leg and instantly fell asleep. After working in the morning, I decided to pop to the pharmacy to see if they had any Covid and Flu jabs. I hoped to visit people in the UK over Christmas who had compromised immune systems so I wanted to try to prevent spreading anything.
Interestingly, there were no Covid vaccines available but the flu jab was out of the packet and in the back of my left arm before I could say anything else. After, I asked the reason for the lack of Covid jabs and they said they no longer stock them. I asked if I could go to the nearest hospital to get one and they said not and that Turkey didn’t have them.
This was my first flu jab so I wasn’t sure what to expect, I was surprised at the price as I had no idea what they cost;

Balcı Pharmacy
Flu jab 568.99 lira (£10.16)

Next, I went to the bank to ask about insurance for my forthcoming trip to Morocco but by the time I got upstairs I felt faint. I learned that the bank couldn’t do travel insurance until next week, as it needed to be nearer the date of travel. I had a quick trip to the supermarket which resulted in me buying some new drinking glasses to have water in, prices in lira for what I bought;

Migros Supermarket
Onions 7.16
Chocolate bar 19.95
Biscuits 37.75
Chickpea rice 37.76
Marshmallow 39.95
Dark chocolate 49.95
Cereal bars 60.90
2 drinking glasses 84.94
Dates 89.95
Total 428.31 lira (£7.65)

I called at the bakery to get a simit but also ended up with a cheese börek (pastry) for a total of 45 lira (80p) I had to walk all the way back to Jamie’s without passing out as I had started to feel weak so ate the börek outside with Norman. Unexpectedly, Norman had a bit of an incident where he was looking at me eating, he fell backwards down 2 steps then toddled towards the pool, almost falling in!
A proof copy of my new book ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ was meant to be being delivered today to Captain Caveman so that he could proof read and check it for me, but it didn’t arrive.
I went for a walk with Norman after work and, as it was Friday, we went to the pub for a drink. I had a couple of rosé wines and soda at Ren Garden and Norman behaved really well. The total cost for 2 wines and 1 soda was 330 lira (£5.89) but I rounded it up to include a tip so spent 400 lira (£7.14) in total – not bad for a Friday treat.
Back home, I made a pasta dish for my dinner and we saw that Jamie had indeed made his way on to the Maldives flight – he was not going to have to slum it in Benidorm, after all. I let Norman know but he was more concerned as to if he was getting egg in his dinner or not. After dinner, I had loaded the dishwasher and put the tablet in, Norman was inquisitive and wanted to see what it was all about. I explained to him that dishwasher tablets are not snacks, despite Jamie storing them in the fridge!

Gratitude List
1. Being able to get a flu jab
2. Norman
3. Knowing a proof copy of my book was due to arrive in Pontefract, probably tomorrow.

Dalyan – 5th to 7th December

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dalyan – 22nd November

The day of Captain Caveman’s arrival was finally here on Saturday 22nd November – I was super excited and quite hungover!
Having consumed wine with dinner, 5 mulled wines and a further 250ml of red wine as a nightcap, I had totally overdone it with Jamie and Drew last night! It had been good to let my hair down but now, as I went to feed the cat at sunrise, I desperately wanted to be having a lay in, keeping warm under the duvet. I was back home by 8am, with no wandering round Dalyan unnecessarily this morning. I was going to go back to bed but instead I had a Yorkshire tea and a litre of water before deciding to move my office back upstairs in to the spare room. I moved the spare table first and it wasn’t that difficult, but my beloved red office chair was a little more cumbersome. I had to have a sit down when I got them in place but I was pleased as I was hoping to have a reduced work schedule this coming week so wouldn’t need our dining table as a desk. That morning, I finished my internal pages of ‘The Handy Travel Planner’, uploaded that and my book cover by Nicole at I Am Claire Clarke on to Amazon and hoped they would vet it and agree to publish it quickly! They said it could take up to 10 days, which was a bit long but there was nothing I could do and I just had to wait now! Overall, I was very pleased and excited with it but I was still annoyed with myself for not having got it done sooner so that Captain Caveman could bring me a copy to see!!
For lunch I had beans on toast and got a message from Captain Caveman who was getting the train to Manchester airport ready for his 13.45 flight. He was due to land at Dalaman at 21.00 so I still had all day to wait.
After doing some last minute work, I decided to pop out to the shops, help my Mom by getting her the stationer’s email address and feed the cat again. Here’s what I bought from the various shops with prices in lira;

Şarküteri
1 Chicken Tikka sauce 190 lira (£3.45)

I rarely buy the ready made sauces from the import shop as they are pricey but I decided I’d left it too late to make a curry for dinner.

Migros Supermarket
Mentos 20.95
Marshmallows 39.95
2 Nut Dido chocolate bars 60.00
3 tins of chopped tomatoes 149.85
1kg chicken breasts 172.09
Total spent 442.84 lira (£8.05)

I was so excited to get the tinned tomatoes, finally!

Yaman Büfe 2
2 Efes Malt beers 170
1 bottle of Red Rituel wine 288
Total spent 458.00 lira (£8.33)

After buying some booze to have with dinner, I went home to chill out, finish some blogging and await Captain Caveman’s arrival!

I managed to finish a few blog posts, check the coming week’s weather forecast, start my marketing plan for ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ and schedule a week’s worth of Resort Experts posts before I got a text to say Captain Caveman was on his way. Luckily, the curry was done and simmering away, the beers were cold and the apartment was nice and tidy. It was gone 10pm when he arrived, hand luggage only but with half of his bag full of treats for me! He’d got a transfer from Sonuç at Dalyan Transfers. By 11pm Captain Caveman had unpacked his wares which included;
2 bottles of Kahlua from Duty Free for £31
A 2026 Diary
A power bank
5 cheeses
2 butters
Steradent tablets
An Advent Calendar for Nanny Kay

I was so pleased that Captain Caveman had managed to bring so much in his hand luggage this time. We cracked open the beers and I dished up the chicken curry with steamed rice. It was almost midnight by the time we had finished eating, which was extremely late for me but Captain Caveman was 3 hours behind, on UK time. I set my alarm for in 6 hours time as I needed to make sure I was up for the cat feeding. Captain Caveman had also organised a Sunday Walk for tomorrow. There was so much to go on my Gratitude List today that I had trouble narrowing it down to just the 3!

Gratitude List
1. Finally submitting ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ to Amazon to be published
2. Captain Caveman arriving in Dalyan
3. Getting some treats from Captain Caveman.

Dalyan – 18th November

I was awake at 6.30am on Tuesday 18th November so that I could go to feed my friend’s cat. It was a bit fresh out but nice, so I decided to have a walk through the town and along the river on the way back home. My heart had still been racing a bit after yesterday’s shock and I’d not felt that great. I thought a bit of exercise would do me good, for a change. I was out until 8.15am and then I had a cup of tea and started working on the planner again.

I didn’t bother with breakfast, so at lunch time I sat on the balcony in the sun and ate bread, cheese and olives.
At 6pm, I broke off to go feed the cat again and then on the way back, did some shopping. I was still looking for chopped tomatoes but had to make do with tomato puree in a jar. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Şarküteri
1 tin of coconut milk
2 tins of baked beans
Total 270 lira (£4.91)

A101 Supermarket
Mints 17.50
Jellies 29.00
Tomatoes in a jar 48.90
Sensodyne toothpaste 185.00
Total spent 280.40 lira (£5.10)

For dinner I had a pasta bolognese with parmesan and then did more of the planner until bed time.

Gratitude List
1. Walking through town before many people were up and about
2. A calm but busy day
3. Tasty food.

Dalyan – 17th November

Monday 17th November was my last day in charge of Kate’s 7 cats. She had said they were going to be back in time for the evening feeding so I only needed to do the 7am one. By 7.30am I had fed and checked on all 7 of the cats, they were fine and were going to be popped outside once I left.
I messaged Fikri to book the taxi to take me back before lunch as I had signed up for a 6 hour, free online event with Lisa Johnson from 1pm. The taxi was 200 lira (£3.64) and it made things easier with carrying my bag.
I got a message from my Mom to say the return bus from Jiva Beach had been moved, so they would be home even earlier. I’d packed up my stuff, washed the cat’s bowls and made sure everything was tidy, ready for Mark and Kate’s return. Casha was reluctant to go outside but all the others were up for playing in the sunshine.
On my way home, I called at the bakery and treated myself to a chocolate croissant as I was hungry and hadn’t had any dinner last night. I also called in to check on another friend’s cat, and top up her water and food bowls. On the way home I passed two small white dogs who came to say hello, one of them had the sniffles.
In the afternoon, I’d been listening to the online Lisa Johnson sessions and noticed my laptop battery was low. I went to plug it in and the plug blew up in my hand, tripping the electric and turning my hand black. I got a shock but was lucky the whole power had gone out. My heart was racing and I felt a little bit peculiar. I had to go out in search of a new lead and, luckily, Mert at Dalyan Computer had one for 500 lira (£9.09). I was also lucky that I’d not had the lead plugged in to my laptop when it went bang. By the time I’d got back and gingerly plugged my laptop back in to charge, I decided a hot shower and a cup of tea were needed.
In the evening I walked round to my friend’s and fed her cat, she was super affectionate and we had some fuss. My next job was to go shopping and here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket

Plastic bag 0.50
Onions 5.01
Milk 10.90
Pasta 13.95
Turkish ravioli 32.50
2 Quark 91.90
Toilet roll 279.95
400g Beef Mince 329.95
Total spent 764.66 lira (£13.90)

For dinner, I warmed up the left over chicken casserole, spinach and rice from Çağrı and it was very tasty still. That night I was in bed early as I felt really tired.

Gratitude List
1. All of Kate’s 7 cats surviving the 5 days
2. Being alive after the shock from the laptop lead.
3. Being able to get a replacement lead from Dalyan Computer.

Dalyan – 15th & 16th November

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

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

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

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

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

Dalyan – 12th November

Wednesday 12th November was chock-a-block with stuff!
Norman and I were out before daylight and he tried to go back to the spot he’d found the fish. He’d got an oyster shell in his mouth which I quickly retrieved – luckily as it was broken and could injure an animal.
After Norman’s breakfast he went back to bed while I took my measurements. I’d lost 0.4kg (0.9lb) on the home scales, which was surprising. My bust had stayed the same, I’d put 1cm on my waist but lost 1cm on my hips. Not bad, considering Sabotage Tuesday had got me.
I did some Resort Experts work before prioritising The Handy Travel Planner – yes, it now had a title! I updated the Packing, Itinerary, Must Do, See & Eats pages as well as reformatting the questions pages. I had soup for lunch before taking Norman on a quick outing before Fat Club. Bizarrely, on Carol’s scales, I was the same as last week. I was getting a bit frustrated that I wasn’t losing the weight but, although I was drinking far less and not as often, I wasn’t being as strict on the food. Even though I was walking Norman 3 times each day, it wasn’t far or fast.
After Fat Club I called at the shops to pick up some shopping to give to Kate. I was meeting her to pick up house keys so that I could start the cat care from tomorrow. Here’s what I bought, with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Plastic bag 0.50
Pasta 13.95
Courgettes 18.98
Rice crackers 24.00
Milk 39.95
Chickpeas 69.95
Bananas 76.92
Pesto 79.95
Dark chocolate 84.95
Mushrooms 89.95
Total spent 499.10 lira (£9.07)

When I arrived at Ozzy’s to meet Kate, it was a little chaotic! Kate had just finished hosting the quiz and was trying to do 3 things at once. She apologised as she was very busy and had forgotten the key.
I sat down next to Vanessa and had a soda water but I had to leave because I was meeting my next cat owner to discuss her requirements and pick up her key. Vanessa and I took Ozzy’s phone number so that we could order delivery from him this coming weekend.

I said bye and headed to my next appointment, buying a couple of chocolate bars on the way as I was a bit early. I was eating a chocolate bar outside the Millennium shop when my friend arrived. We walked to her house, she gave me a spare key, and ran through the cat’s needs.
Norman and I had a little walk and bumped into my parents to say farewell and wish them a nice break at Jiva Beach in Fethiye. We then wandered past Phil who was walking Caramel and he’d left Penny in Tez bar. I decided to go in to say hello and had a glass of red wine while Norman got some fuss. He enjoyed listening to the regulars singing and even got a dog treat from Penny.
Back home I had a video call with Captain Caveman who was working in Scotland and was in a hotel. I had a very late dinner of chicken casserole then some cheese and wine as a weigh day treat.

Gratitude List
1. Not putting weight on
2. Norman
3. Things going well with half of the cat sitting arrangements.

Dalyan – 8th & 9th November

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

Stall 1
Sourdough 200 lira (£3.64)

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

Stall 3
2 mince pies 120 lira (£2.18)

Jiks pub
2 Fantas 200 lira (£3.64)

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

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

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

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

Dalyan – 5th November

It wasn’t surprising that I had put weight on, on Wednesday 5th November, when I got on the home scales! A whole 0.3kg (0.7lb), my bust had stayed the same, I’d lost 1cm from my waist and put 1cm on my hips!
I popped the slow cooker on with a Thai chicken curry in and cancelled my evening plans so that I could help Jamie out. He and Drew were leaving for a holiday tomorrow and I was looking after Norman however, because they wanted to leave early in the morning, I’d been asked to take Norman this evening and, of course, I’d said yes.
First, I went to Fat Club to find I had stayed the same weight as last week on Carol’s scales, so I was pleased about that. I had a water for 50 lira (91p) and we all had a chat and a laugh. On my way home, I called at the shop and here’s what I bought, prices in lira (still no tinned tomatoes);

Migros Supermarket

Milk 27.50
Tomato pasta sauce 33.95
Bitter chocolate 57.50
BBQ sauce 125.21
Frozen berries 229.95
Total spent 474.11 lira (£8.62)

Jamie and Drew popped round with Norman and brought all of his stuff except for his treat tin, so Norman was not amused! We had a glass of wine to toast the start of their holidays and I promised Norman I would get him treats from the shop.
Later, Vanessa popped over for a cup of tea and a chat, we took little Norman out but he was not happy to go out or with the stairs. I had to practically drag him out!
I shared some curry and steamed rice with Vanessa and portioned some up for her to take back for Matt. By 10pm, Norman had been out again, reluctantly, and was in his bed.
I set my alarm for before it got light as I didn’t want Norman to pee in the house.

Gratitude List
1. Not putting weight on, with Carol’s scales
2. Norman
3. Swapping a night out to see a band, for a curry night with Vanessa and Norman.

Dalyan – 1st to 4th November

All plans went out of the window on Saturday 1st November as I had a few Resort Experts quotes to do. I didn’t bother going to the market and went back to bed with a cup of Yorkshire tea, for the first time in quite a while!
I faced the income versus expenditure spreadsheet with a little trepidation as I knew I’d spent too much this month. My budget for October was set at £500, which included Captain Caveman giving me some cash. Unfortunately, I ended up spending just short of £900 including all bills, the course for making my new planner and a flight to the UK with luggage. It meant that I really needed to be extra careful in November and that I was starting the new month on a minus figure of £106. It was going to be a tough month and Captain Caveman was coming to visit at the end of the month which means we always spend more then.
Captain Caveman had already been in touch as he had decided he wanted to go to a music event in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, for his birthday next year. He’d bought 2 tickets for the 3 day Phillgood gig which had bands such as The Cure, Gorillaz, and Moby headlining. So, I spent some time looking at flights and hotels for Plovdiv and Sofia in Bulgaria for the 2 of us.
I had to cancel going round to Kate’s to meet the new kittens as I was too busy faffing around. I managed to get to the bakery where I bought a croissant and a fresh loaf for 105 lira (£1.91) so had lunch while still working, but then had a belly ache.
For dinner I made a chickpea and spinach curry with steamed rice and booked the Old Legends hotel in Plovdiv for Captain Caveman and I. Surprisingly, I got a better rate than Booking .com on a hotel in Sofia so I booked that for 2 nights prior to the gig, so that we could have a look around the capital. Neither of us have been to Bulgaria before and it was on our list of places to visit. I was excited as I miss going to concerts and hearing good live music.
I then decided to look at holidays for January as Captain Caveman really wanted us to go away, despite me saying I couldn’t afford to spend money on holidays while I was still building my empire.

Gratitude List
1. Dealing with budget issues instead of ignoring them
2. Captain Caveman insisting on a trip to Bulgaria in 2026
3. Getting some good deals with Resort Experts for our own holidays.

On Sunday 2nd November there was a bit of excitement in the air. I booked our own holiday to Morocco, through Resort Experts of course. We decided we would be staying in Marrakech for a week on a Bed & Breakfast basis, in a cute little riad for around £900 for the both of us. We were both excited and thought that was quite a bargain.
Nanny Kay popped round with some gifts; spare plates which she was getting rid of and I never have enough if I invite people over for dinner. She also gave me 3 black tops which were ideal for winter.
Later I met Vanessa and another friend in Ozzy’s as Vanessa had just arrived back in Dalyan for a few weeks.
I had a strawberry milkshake and a soda water for 210 lira (£3.82). For dinner, I just ate chicken nuggets for my one meal that day as I’d not had time to make what I had planned.

Gratitude List
1. Booking a holiday to Marrakech with Captain Caveman
2. New plates and tops from Nanny Kay
3. Out with friends for an entertaining catch up.

I had a busy Monday morning on Monday 3rd November; mostly content writing and scheduling. I also had several interactions with Captain Caveman, including messages before his 9am start. He got me researching the flight times and prices for our trip to Bulgaria. We finally plumped for the ones with BA and they were cheaper to book direct so Captain Caveman booked those and he paid for Morocco and the Bulgaria hotels. He’d also booked us tickets for Faithless, with cousin Anna, and a Metallica weekend ticket in July – both of which we were really looking forward to.
I didn’t have lunch until 2.30pm and just had soup with pasta in.
When I finished working for the day, I popped out for a walk and to get some shopping. Here’s what I got with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Green peppers 10.49
Red onion 14.49
Milk 21.80
Red peppers 26.99
6 eggs 49.50
Wholemeal sliced loaf 84.95
Bitter chocolate 87.50
2 Quark 91.90
Total spent 387.62 lira (£6.96)

There were still no tinned tomatoes so I went to the next shop;

Şok Supermarket
1 Dido chocolate bar 46.50
775g chicken 189.63
Total spent 236.13 lira (£4.29)

No tomatoes still!
I wasn’t hungry, so for dinner I just had chestnuts and had an early night.

Gratitude List
1. Booking our own holidays
2. Shopping
3. Having an early night.

It was the calm before the storm on Tuesday 4th November. I split my day between Resort Experts and designing my new planner. I was getting rather impatient with Canva as I was half teaching myself and half following instructions from Claire Clarke from her videos. I had never realised it, but I’m not good at following spoken instruction and would much rather read the instructions.
It was 4pm when I finally got some lunch which was a warmed up chickpea and spinach curry. Captain Caveman had booked his trip to Vietnam without me for March as I was already busy then. We had discussed me getting a flight to London on the Easter weekend to meet him on his return but they were £74 one way, without luggage. Also, I had a couple of work related events/more Fam trips which may be happening in April and I didn’t want to miss out on those. I worked hard that day and didn’t realise until 10.30pm that I had not moved from my desk! At 11pm I just had chestnuts for dinner (again).

Gratitude List
1. Curry for lunch
2. Captain Caveman finally getting a trip to Vietnam booked in
3. Chestnuts.

Dalyan – 29th & 30th October

It was weigh day again on Wednesday 29th October and I was not optimistic, given last night’s over indulgences. It was also the end of my dog sitting for Norman as Jamie would arrive back after 10pm tonight.
It was a busy day, starting with me having to wake little Norman up at 7.35am.
I took my measurements; I had lost 1cm from my bust and waist and 2cm from my hips – that was surprising, but we would see what Carol’s scales said later.
I worked and got ready for the dog and house handover, at lunch time I went to the shops on the way to Fat Club. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira:

Migros Supermarket
1 toastie loaf 70.00
1 pack Rivita crackers 79.00
375g Chestnuts 104.98
3 Quark 137.85
Total spent 391.83 lira (£7.19)

At Fat Club I was pleased to find I had not put weight on, in fact I was 0.15kg (0.3lb) lighter! I picked up a Slimming World book for more inspiration for this week and was determined to do better. I joined an entrepreneur Facebook group, The Impact Project, run by Strategist Lisa Johnson which was free and looked interesting.
For lunch I had rivitas with cheese, olives and grapes (as a treat), and I had interest in my cheese.
In the evening I just had 7 chestnuts for dinner as I wasn’t hungry and I had been too busy.

Gratitude List
1. Losing weight
2. Norman
3. Chestnuts.

On Thursday 30th October I had a chat booked in with a publisher about doing my next book cover for me. I’d been so busy and stressed with Canva that I really needed some expertise for ‘The Handy Travel Planner’. It would also mean that I could get it completed to be able to have it out by Christmas, hopefully. I’d done a few designs myself but they lacked oomph so I spoke to Nicole who works for Claire Clarke, a publisher of planners, workbooks and journals. We got on well and I was pleased she got me and wasn’t offended when I ranted on just how much I hated Pinterest and found it an utter waste of time.
In the afternoon, I had a Resort Experts team meeting to attend where we had a training session with Major Travel. They had some really great deals on for Dubai as well as covering the US and the Maldives.
After 6pm I ventured out of the house to draw out some cash for the weekend and to get more shopping in, here’s what I bought with prices in lira:

Migros Supermarket

Rice crackers 24.00
1 Dido chocolate bar 24.95
Pasta sauce (tomato) 33.95
Bin liners 44.95
Sliced wholemeal bread 59.90
Wholemeal wraps 93.50
Total spent 281.25 lira (£5.16)

It was a sign that November was approaching as there were no tinned tomatoes on the shelves, and not for the first time. I tried another shop but to no avail;

Şok Supermarket
500g pasta 14.00
Jellies 19.50
Chicken pieces 55.00
Total spent 88.50 lira (£1.62)

I arranged a night out for tomorrow with Jamie, Nanny Kay, my parents and their friends. It was bound to get messy as we were meeting at 6.30pm. I had less than £100 this month and I didn’t really have the money to be going out, however, I felt I needed a ‘Friday after work’ drink to round off a hard going month. Captain Caveman said he would give me some money and I said I would put it to one side for when he came next month.
I made a quick chicken pasta for dinner and then had an early night.

Gratitude List
1. Working with Claire and Nicole at IamClaireClarke on my next book
2. Being able to afford shopping
3. Captain Caveman offering to give me money so that I could go out at the weekend.

Dalyan – 25th & 26th October

It was still a bit wet out on the morning of Saturday 25th October so I had decided not to bother with the market. As the ground was wet with puddles and I was still wearing sandals, I thought I’d rather not get wet feet.
By the time it got to lunch time the sun was back out so I changed my mind and ventured out. I took a proper bag to the market and I’d already got cash so there was no faffing about today. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Stall 1
3 potatoes 20 lira (37p)

Stall 2
Tulum cheese
White cheese
Olives
600 lira (£11)

Stall 3
Tomatoes
Carrots
Mushrooms
Pumpkin
Grapes
Strawberries
550 lira (£10.09)

Stall 4
Spinach Gözleme (pancake) 100 lira (£1.83)

Total spent 1,270 lira (£23.29) which was probably the most I’d spent in the market in a long time – it was also the most I’d carried since breaking my foot and I managed. I’d gone a bit mad on the cheese as the stall holder had the nice strong Tulum which looks like a regular cheddar but tastes more like a blue cheese without the blue in it – it’s very strong and lasts ages. I always get to taste the cheese and the olives too, even though I usually buy the same ones.
When I got back, Norman hadn’t even noticed I’d been gone and was still fast asleep. I ate my very tasty gözleme for lunch and then did some work in the afternoon/evening. Ma & Pa popped round, I gave them some eggs and they brought Norman’s towel & bowl back – they didn’t stay as they were off for a walk but I suggested we might catch up tomorrow.
For dinner I had a pasta dish and put a sprinkling of the tulum cheese on top. I didn’t have any alcohol as I was trying to be good tonight.

Gratitude List
1. Managing a full market shop and walking back with it all
2. Norman
3. Nice, simple food.

On Sunday 26th October I didn’t wake up until 7.50am and when I went downstairs, Norman had had an accident – runny poo on the tiled floor and he’d slipped in it. Poor Norman had to be cleaned as well as the floor and he had a sorry look in his eyes. I told him everything was going to be ok and stayed with him all morning, I even made him some eggs for breakfast.
I decided to make a pumpkin soup in the slow cooker and did a bit of work, despite it being a Sunday. For lunch I had leftover pasta with the rest of the salad from Friday’s takeaway and Norman, although sleepy, seemed to be doing much better.
I left him for an hour when my parents called to go for a walk to the Kefal tea gardens. They both ordered a mackerel sandwich and drinks but I just had a plate of chips. I decided to ask my parents over for a Sunday dinner and we walked back past the Şevikoğlu shop to buy provisions. Unfortunately, they had no whole chickens left, nor any decent wine so we had to make do with chicken breasts and I would order the booze in.

Here’s what I bought, with prices in lira;

Şevikoğlu Supermarket
1 plastic bag 0.50
Red cabbage 21.39
Wet wipes 39.90
3 Dido nut chocolate bars 89.70
1.6kg chicken breasts 295.04
Total spent 446.53 lira (£8.19)

When we got back, Norman was pleased to see us and had been fine. I messaged the off licence for them to bring us wine – my parents were surprised you could do this but it saved us walking and carrying it.

Yaman Büfe
Wine
Soda water
Total spent 1,040 lira (£19.08)

We sat on the terrace with our wine and Norman potted about, he was having trouble with the steps so we tried to fashion a ramp out of a big tile. Norman seemed interested but it wasn’t really safe.
I served up the pumpkin soup, a first try of it for my parents who said they liked it (they didn’t have seconds though). We had sliced chicken breast with roast potatoes, carrots and red cabbage for main, I didn’t have any stuffing to put with it. I saved Norman some chicken as he’s quite partial to a roast dinner and he wolfed it down. Our dessert was just a Dido chocolate bar each and we didn’t have a late one as I had to be up early tomorrow. It was nice to have Sunday dinner with my parents and have the afternoon off.

Gratitude List
1. Good food
2. Norman
3. Spending time with my parents.