I stayed in bed until after 10am on Wednesday 6th December as it was raining heavily. I had the usual tea and a banana for breakfast. It was weigh day so I did get on the home scales to find I’d lost 0.25kg (0.5lb) which was surprising after all the cheese and wine last night. My measurements were also quite promising; 1cm on my bust, hips remained the same but I’d lost 1cm from my waist. At lunch time I tried cooking the sweet potatoes to find they weren’t as I expected them to be. They took ages in the air fryer to cook, and I’d have been better off doing our lunch in the oven. Captain Caveman popped to the shops when the rain stopped and bought 2 jars of passata as it was on offer at 39.80 lira in total (£1.09) – a bargain. At Fat Club, Carol’s scales were not so forgiving and I had put on 0.1kg (0.2lb) so I really did need to be more disciplined this coming week. Having said that, we were invited out this evening again. I popped to the shop on my way home, here’s what I bought;
Migros Supermarket Bicarbonate of soda 6.50 Lentils 20.00 Milk 22.50 1 tin of tomatoes 29.90 4 Dido chocolate bars 42.00 Total spent 121.80 lira (£3.34)
That evening we got the bus out to Bill & Jaxx’s villa, not far from the Günlüklu restaurant. On the way we saw an outside toilet and a dinosaur which were great landmarks for us to get off at the right bus stop next time. Bill picked us up and I should have took more notice of the route, but that was Captain Caveman’s department! We had agreed to house and dog sit for them later in the month so we were going over to discuss further and for Captain Caveman to meet their dogs. We had a lovely evening, with lots of wine, garlic bread, chicken pasta, a cheese board and port. It was so indulgent and delicious and we had such a good laugh. The dogs were great and we knew we would enjoy looking after Big Boy and Lucy while their owners were away. It was gone midnight when we left, a little bit merry!
On Thursday 7th December Captain Caveman went Bumming, I had my obligatory Yorkshire tea in bed then got up for my overnight oats which I’d added frozen raspberries and persimmon to. For lunch we had chicken wraps with fat free yoghurt, carrot and red cabbage which were lovely. For dinner we were happy at being invited over to my parents’ place for dinner and wine. We had a great time and a tasty chicken casserole too. I went off my diet yet again when I was tempted to eat the crisps and some chocolate. It was only Thursday and I’d already consumed 162 syns so far this week. I was going to have to try my best to curb it a bit more this weekend but it would be tricky as we had some nice plans.
Jamie was due back later on Monday 28th November so we had a tidy up and packed our stuff ready to return home. I’d had a simit for breakfast and we had a roast chicken for dinner back at home. It was good to be home and have everything we needed to hand. Tomorrow it was weigh day and Fat Club again, I really needed to get back on it before the end of the year if I wanted to reach my target, as I’d definitely gone off plan a bit.
I felt like I was rich on Wednesday 29th November, as I’d been paid. Even a weight gain at Fat Club would not put me in a bad mood today! I got weighed at home and did my measurements. I had lost just 0.1kg (0.2lb) according to the home scales, 1cm off my bust, stayed the same on my waist but I’d put 1cm on my hips. I had a green tea and popped a chicken casserole in to the slow cooker while I cracked on with some work. I had a linden tea then a rose tea and stopped work for lentil soup at lunch time and again to go to Fat Club. To my surprise, I had lost 0.3kg (0.7lb) so I was pleased with that. I only needed to lose another 2.1kg (4.6lb) to reach my target. I called at the supermarket on my way home, to pick up some essentials, and here’s what I got, with prices in lira;
There were a few extravagant purchases and chocolate as a treat, with it being pay day. The exchange rate was now 36.5 lira to the pound too. I went back home to finish off my work for the week, which was lucky as the internet went off at 6pm. We decided to go to Tez bar just for one drink and spent 250 lira (£6.85) on 2 beers and a wine! Back at home, we had a chicken and leek bake for dinner and saved the chicken casserole for tomorrow.
Captain Caveman wasn’t Bumming on Thursday 30th November, due to bad weather. He brought me a cup of Yorkshire tea in bed and I didn’t bother with any breakfast as I had a cheeky lay in. Captain Caveman decided to go shopping as we needed some bulky items as well as the regular food stuff. Here’s what he bought with the prices in lira:
Migros Supermarket New Migros card 4.00 2 bags pasta 17.80 2 Quark 31.90 Peanut butter 62.00 Toilet roll 69.90 3 cartons cherry juice 114.00 Washing powder 219.73 Total spent 519.33 lira (£14.23)
We had leftover lentil soup for lunch and I accidentally ate some crisps. I looked through the Migros leaflet to find there were a couple of bargains to be had. Around 3pm Captain Caveman went back to the shop to pick up the extra items, here’s the info;
Migros Supermarket (2nd visit) Soda water 17.45 Cheese 49.00 Coffee 133.52 Fairy Liquid 139.90 1.8kg whole chicken 96.53 Total spent 436.40 (£11.96)
Captain Caveman also called in to the barbers and to put the internet on until the end of September. Our next appointment was to meet Adele and Vanessa at the Kaunos tea gardens. It was raining quite hard and Adele didn’t make it. It was pretty cold and wet but the Sheffield lot carried on regardless; Vanessa and I had a cup of tea each, still only 10 lira (27p), Captain Caveman had 2 beers and a cheese & onion toastie. Vanessa and I finished off with a wine each. The total bill was only 425 lira (£11.64) between the 3 of us. Back home, Captain Caveman and I had a rum to warm us up, chicken casserole for dinner and some roasted chestnuts. I did the chestnuts in the airfryer and followed mom’s instructions but ours weren’t cooked as well as her’s. Tomorrow was the start of Captain Caveman’s last month in Dalyan, time was going too fast!
On Monday 20th November I had no work, because I’d worked 16 hours instead of 8 when my hours were first reduced. It wasn’t ideal but was better than not getting paid for what I had worked. It was nice to have the week off work but with hardly any spare cash to spend it was a bit limited. I was very conscious that what money I did have I would need to ration. I had bread with cheese spread, a cup of Tetley’s tea and a couple of tangerines for breakfast. Captain Caveman had gone Dogging today and my parents popped round to see me and the dogs for a cup of tea and a biscuit. For lunch I had mushroom pasta and I made a chicken curry for dinner, which we had with a bottle of red wine – on a Monday!
On Tuesday 21st November Captain Caveman went to Bridge club, I had one of my favourite breakfasts; vegetable and egg fried rice. Of course, I was still using that bloody cabbage which Caroline had suggested I buy. For lunch we had a feta cheese salad and then we went shopping to top up our provisions while we were at Jamie’s for another week. Here’s what we bought with prices in lira;
It was the most we had spent on a single shop in quite a while as we decided to buy cheese and beef. Both are expensive but I fancied making a lasagne later in the week as a bit of a treat. We also bought 2 more bottles of Rituel red wine while it was on offer and a lightbulb for our kitchen. Things weren’t so bad that I’d had to give up booze, just yet!
For dinner Captain Caveman made spaghetti carbonara and I refrained from having any alcohol as it was weigh day tomorrow and I wanted to keep the syns below 300 for the week. Edna provided the evening’s entertainment when she brought her teddy to play fetch with Captain Caveman. She was reluctant to bring it back at first but she soon got in to it and we all played for ages, while Norman refereed from the comfort of the sofa.
On Thursday 9th November Captain Caveman brought me a Yorkshire tea in bed and I had a rare lay in. He was off Bumming with the Riverbums until lunch time so I had a leisurely start to the day. As Caroline had stayed in a hotel last night and was leaving today, I stripped her bed, cleaned her room and bathroom. She had more or less packed her stuff so her departure looked imminent. I cleaned the rest of the house too, when Captain Caveman returned I was a hot sweaty mess, tired from cleaning, he pointed out that I had missed a bit. He then moaned that he had to clean the shower drain in the ensuite bathroom which I hadn’t done properly! In the afternoon, Caroline sent a message to see if Captain Caveman and I would like to meet her for a beer and join them for dinner tonight. We had a beer at the Yağmur hotel, which is really lovely and has great river views, while Caroline told us of her plans! She would be staying one more night at the hotel and then tomorrow she would leave for a road trip. She planned to send the barely used motorbike back and the company in Marmaris said they would come to collect it. She’d been here 10 days already and her idea to take in Turkey and all it’s famous sights kept getting delayed further. Caroline decided to mark the occasion of her decision making with a drink and asked us where we should go. I suggested we try Luz, a nearby Mexican place which we’d not been to yet. I’m so glad we went to Luz, it was fantastic. More expensive than other Dalyan places but classy. Caroline was paying but I tried not to take advantage too much; I ordered a hibiscus margarita which was so good and 290 lira (£8.53), Captain Caveman had a Bloody Maria at 270 lira (£7.94). They were easily the best drinks we had tasted in Dalyan and when Caroline insisted on another round we found it impossible to decline. She ordered a cheese fondu and some nachos as nibbles which were amazing. Of course, I ended up accidentally eating some chillies and felt unwell. The toilets at Luz are really nicely decorated and had nice toiletries.
In the evening, Caroline invited us to join them at Balıkçım, which was Caroline’s favourite place where her and Captain Caveman had eaten on the first night of her visit. I don’t tend to eat there as I don’t like fish but Captain Caveman loves it. Everyone shared octopus and fish, I had a bit of the shared mezes (the ones without fish or chillies) and plenty of bread. We had half a litre of rakı between us too, which went down rather well. Here’s the prices of what we had at Balıkçım; 5 meze dishes 450 Octopus 400 Fish with chips & salad 510 50cl rakı 800 2 bottles of water 60 Total cost 2220 lira (£65.29)
The evening wasn’t cheap and I did well on my diet, more because of not being able to eat most of the dishes than good choices. It had been a very pleasant afternoon and evening.
Friday 10th November started off with some bad news; I was meant to be getting paid today but my boss had let me know that, due to some banking changes, it would be delayed by 4 days. Not one to let having very little money worry me, I soldiered on! Caroline was up for afternoon drinking and I was quite glad of the distraction of her company. Captain Caveman was back from Bridge and the 3 of us cracked open the rosé wine from the fridge. The highlight of the afternoon was Caroline’s bang-on pouring out of the bottle between the 3 of us. I said I’d cook for Caroline, Kaan, Captain Caveman and I and made an enchiladas type of dinner from various left overs and some lavaş wraps. It was a good night and we were merry by 8pm.
Captain Caveman had took himself off on a bicycle ride to Gökbel on the morning of Saturday 11th November. He was keen to see how well the bike could do as he fancied doing more cycling while in Dalyan. Caroline was sorting the motorbike collection and was liaising with Tez for the guys from Marmaris to come to collect it. She was also talking of leaving after the weekend. I had the pleasure of doing the weekly shopping at the market and supermarket. With not getting paid on time it was going to be a bit tight but I would be as frugal as I could be. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira.
The cabbage I bought at the market was huge but Caroline had said she had a great cabbage recipe that she would do for us. I thought I’d done really well in Migros and even got a 50 lira (£1.47) cash discount on my Migros card. I decided not to buy any meat unless it was on offer and we did have some in the freezer so I could wait until after pay day for the more expensive items. I bumped in to my parents in Migros who were also trying to stock up before the predicted rain came that afternoon. It looked like another couple of days/nights of staying home. While I’d be gone, Caroline had texted to see if she could join me at the market to help carry things, I’d not got WiFi so I didn’t see her message until I walked near Jik’s. I said I’d see her back home for some lunch with Captain Caveman. When I got back, she’d gone out for lunch at Çağrı so I put the shopping away and tidied up.
Captain Caveman returned and seemed in a good mood, he was concerned the weather was going to be too bad to go out and that I didn’t get everything on the shopping list. He’d also spotted some bargains that we needed to get while they had offers on. We went back to the shops and bought the following;
A101 Supermarket Mandarins 5.20 Wholemeal bread 14.00 Pears 14.65 Apples 32.00 Clotted cream 47.50 Cheese 55.50 Kitchen roll 149.90 Total spent 318.75 lira (£9.38)
Migros Supermarket 1kg red lentils 22.50 4 X 500g bags of dried pasta 30.00 1 jar peanut butter 45.90 Total spent 98.40 (£2.89)
We really didn’t need the kaymak (Turkish clotted cream) but Captain Caveman loves it. The kitchen roll had a sign on saying it was on offer but it wasn’t and it turned out to be scented. Still, it was only £4.40 for quite a few rolls so wasn’t too bad. Everything on our second Migros visit was on offer so I was happy with that. I messaged Caroline to say we were off to Kefal tea gardens, by the river, to meet our friend Adele and that she was welcome to join us. She didn’t respond or come to join us so she must’ve been busy. At the tea gardens we chatted with Adele and had food and drink. As it’s a council run cafe, the prices are really good, here’s what we paid; 1 Turkish tea 10.00 2 cheese toasties 90.00 2 Efes Malt beers 150.00 1 white wine 100.00 Total spent 350.00 lira (£10.29)
It was a cheap and cheerful lunch which we all enjoyed, especially as we saw a turtle in the river as we sat and chatted. It was too quick for me to get any photos though. By the time we got home the rain was here, Caroline’s plans for a Saturday night out were scuppered as I told her we were staying in tonight. Captain Caveman made pasta which is one of his go-to meals – simple but tasty.
On Saturday 4th November Caroline was deliberating driving somewhere on the motorbike so she just took it around town and back. Captain Caveman and I needed to go to the weekly Dalyan market. As it looked to be a rainy weekend we thought we’d stock up, ready for lots of home cooking after Caroline’s imminent departure. Caroline got changed and we all went to the market where we bought the following, with prices in lira:
Stall 1 Potatoes, onions & garlic 59
Stall 2 Peppers, aubergines & pumpkin 57
Stall 3 Samphire 20
Stall 4 Tangerines 10
Stall 5 Tomatoes 35
Stall 6 Bananas 25
Stall 7 Apples & Strawberries 50
Stall 8 3 Gözleme (pancakes) 170
Total spent at the market today was 376 lira (£11.06).
Our next stop was for a quick shop for essentials as Captain Caveman needed proper coffee, Caroline wanted Sanpellegrino soda water and I needed a whole chicken for our Sunday lunch tomorrow. Here’s what I bought and the prices in lira:
Migros Supermarket Chickpeas 39.92 Soda water 65.00 Coffee 76.90 Chicken 122.72 Total spent 304.54 lira (£8.96)
After dropping off the shopping, Caroline rode her bike to the beach and we caught the 2pm bus to meet her there. I didn’t bother taking my swimmers but both Captain Caveman and Caroline went in the sea for a dip. It was very windy so the sand was blowing about quite a bit and I’m not too keen on sand. We took some photos then headed back, calling for a drink in Waterfall. Recep was impressed with Caroline and her motorbike as she told him about her plans to ride to Şanlıurfa tomorrow. He, like Kaan, advised her it was risky to go alone especially as there was a storm coming tomorrow but she explained she was a strong independent woman who had driven a motorbike with Vee (her dog) all over Vietnam.
After a couple in the Waterfall, on Caroline, she thought it would be a great idea to pop to the shop next door to stock up on booze and snack essentials. She got a load of wine and I also bought wine and the mixer drinks to go with the gin we had back home. I have no idea how much she spent in Muhtaroğlu Market but the total I spent was 1,824.80 lira (£53.65)! Hopefully that would last us a few days though and meant we wouldn’t be spending it going out drinking and eating!
Of course, it being Dalyan, that didn’t happen and we were in Tez bar with my parents by the time it went dark. Caroline ordered french fries and beers for dinner, despite the amount of alcohol we had at home. While sat at Tex, the man on the next table to us proposed to his girlfriend and she said yes! I eventually managed to get Captain Caveman and Caroline back to the apartment where they carried on drinking but I just had the one wine. Tomorrow, rain was forecast and I had a house full for Sunday dinner. Due to the weather prediction, Caroline had, sensibly, decided to stay until Monday.
On Friday 27th October I had a fruit salad for breakfast and Captain Caveman had gone to Bridge when I got logged on to the laptop. I’d already done my hours for this week but my boss wanted a video call. Steve explained that he only needed me to work half as much up until the end of the year. I was also going to have to finish work after the week commencing 18th December to have Christmas and New Year off. We agreed I’d work my usual hours until the end of this month and then half the hours for the next 6 weeks after that. Obviously, I was a bit disappointed, especially as I need to earn a certain amount to maintain my residency that I’d recently paid so much to get. When Captain Caveman got back we both went food shopping and here’s what we bought:
A101 Supermarket 1l cherry juice 32.00 lira (£0.94)
Migros Supermarket 1 bag of porridge oats 4.25 Cheese biscuits 9.00 Peanut butter 65.90 Total spent 79.15 lira (£2.33)
I just had wholemeal toast for lunch as I wasn’t hungry and it would soon be dinner time. We were also hosting a small cheese and wine evening at our apartment for my parents, Jamie, and Drew. Today was pay day and we’d been invited to a party at Rehab bar to say bye to a bloke who neither of us knew who looks after cats. Kate was hosting and wanted us to attend but with reduced work afoot, it was time to decline non-essential outings and frivolities – I needed to save the pennies! For dinner we had chicken köfte with potato wedges and vegetables before getting ready to entertain our guests. My parents arrived first and we got chatting, then Jamie and Drew arrived with Börek (Turkish pastries with cheese in) – the diet was out of the window once again! We had a good night with plenty of wine and lots of laughs, where we all enjoyed ourselves.
It was market day on Saturday 28th October so, after a cup of Yorkshire tea in bed, we got ready for a shopping trip. We didn’t need too much this week but here’s what we bought:
Stall 1 Lettuce, pumpkin, red peppers and tomatoes 70 lira (£2.06)
Stall 2 Grapes 20 lira (£0.59)
Stall 3 5 bananas 45 lira (£1.32)
Total market spend 135 lira (£3.97).
When we got back, I had grapes for breakfast as Kate was on her way over. She had bought some cat food from an online company but when it came, it was not correct and she needed to send it back and complain. That took longer than expected and still couldn’t be submitted so she went home a bit stressed. In the afternoon I went over to Vanessa’s where she’d just made sausage rolls and cheese and onion rolls. We ate some and drank white wine & soda while catching up on all the comings and goings of life. Later, we encouraged Kate to join us and she cycled over. It was a lovely afternoon and I didn’t get in until pretty late, with spare sausage rolls to take home too. I left Vanessa getting on the back of her friend’s mobility scooter and heading for a night in Rodrigo’s. I made a Slimming World friendly cauliflower mac and cheese for dinner using pasta, cauliflower, pumpkin, bacon, garlic, yoghurt, eggs, paprika and thyme. It was surprisingly good and we both enjoyed it.
Unfortunately I couldn’t work on the morning of Friday 29th September, as planned, because I had to go to the water company to try to put a bill in my name. This was going to be more stressful than it should have been because of a couple of reasons, the main one being that Captain Caveman wasn’t here. Sonuç’s wife, Leanne, who works at King Emlak seemed to think we could use her boss’s Power of Attorney from buying the apartment to get it sorted but her boss, Sezgin, would have to come with us. She was meant to pick me up at 9.30am and Sezgin would meet us at the water company. That didn’t happen and at 11am I was pacing up and down wondering when they would show up. Plan B was that Leanne was sending the guy from the office who used to go to school and play football with a member of staff at the water place and we were going to do our best to ‘sort’ it. I popped on a nice dress and took all my ID and a copy of an old bill. When we arrived the two Turkish fellas were like long lost brothers, stroking and rubbing each other’s tummies and laughing a lot. At one point I thought I should get ready for a tummy tickle but, for a fee of 900 lira (£26.87), I was now the proud owner of a water bill. My next bill would be in November for 59 lira (£1.76) for the previous month and they had cancelled Captain Caveman’s direct debit. Another expense I wasn’t expecting and now I had to go straight to the bank to get the direct debit set up so that I could take the paper back to the Fethiye office for my residency approval. Leanne had managed to sort this out and I bet she knew I was not happy with the situation, having predicted this would happen. Luckily she had saved the day and I was very grateful. The King Emlak bloke drove me back to the office so I took the opportunity to pop to the supermarket for some essentials and a thank you gift for Leanne and her colleague. I had to be careful what I spent as my laptop had started running slow and it looked like I needed to buy a new one for work – more expense I could have done without. Here’s what I spent and the prices in lira: Migros Supermarket Plastic bag 0.50 2 packets of biscuits 20.00 2 tins of chopped tomatoes 40.00 3 bottles of Angora white wine 470.22 Total spent 530.72 lira (£17.02) The Angora wine was on offer which was a real bonus so I got a couple of bottles for home. I dropped a bottle of wine and some biscuits off with Leanne to show my appreciation and called into A101 shop on my way home. I bought some fresh figs for 19.90 lira (59p) as I love them. Vanessa popped over in the afternoon and she brought me Matt’s old laptop to use, which was a real help! She also offered to come with me, back to Fethiye, to take the water bill and see if I would get my residency renewal. Sonuç probably couldn’t make it until later in the week so we decided we would go on Monday – what a good friend she is! For dinner I had another mystery meal from the freezer which I thought was going to be a casserole but it was actually a beef curry which was really good and went well with steamed rice.
My first day back in Dalyan on Thursday 21st September should have been a quiet one and, as I’d been away for a while, I had a few errands to run. The first job was bank related to sort out stuff for my forthcoming residency renewal meeting, the second was to contact Sonuç to ask if he had got my appointment date yet. It turned out that he had not been able to go any further with that while I was out of the country, because I had not yet paid for my health insurance for next year. I asked for a price and to get that sorted so we could proceed then went to the supermarket and bakery to get some provisions for breakfast. Here’s what I bought and the prices back in Turkish lira:
Fresh loaf of bread 7.50 1 punnet of plums 27.14 2 Quark 35.90 Total spent 70.54 Lira (£2.11)
I was surprised to see that Quark prices had increased, but good that plums were in season now and really cheap. By the time I got home I had a price of 2,100 lira (£58.78) for a year’s insurance so I arranged to go in to the office and pay it. I also popped to the photographer for new passport sized photos at 200 lira (£5.60), again for the residency renewal application. At 5pm I met Sonuc, and Leanne, at Lukka bar where I gave him my passport photos and signed some documents. He told me I worried too much and to stop taking any notice of what other people were saying about the renewal process and people getting rejected as I would be fine. By 7pm I had popped round to Jamie’s to give him his birthday wine and the bottle of Tanqueray gin then accidentally ended up staying to try pineapple gin with diet lemonade which Jamie was having. It went down very well and I got asked to stay for dinner – a delicious veggie pasta bake with cheese. It was a lovely night and I was a bit tipsy when I got home. Drew was leaving for the UK the next day so it was good to have a bit of an impromptu send off session.
On Friday 22nd September I had more excitement in the diary; after a breakfast of fresh bread with butter and a cup of Yorkshire tea then a lunch of Toblerone and plums I was ready to get picked up for a quick trip out of Dalyan. I was going with a friend to Fethiye to run an errand. It went as expected and we even had chance to stock up on sea sickness tablets and some migraine tablets for a Dalyan dweller who was having trouble finding them locally. Once we had done the task we went for, we had a cup of çay before coming back to Dalyan. For dinner I made a Slimming World chicken and chickpea curry with steamed rice and it was rather good.
I don’t know if it was because Xena knew that Captain Caveman was leaving or that she had eaten something she shouldn’t have, but we were woken up at 4am on Friday 15th September with her being sick on the bedroom floor. She seemed fine after that but I decided to keep my eye on her today and not give her any of the leftovers or the bone from Valantina’s. At 6.30am we were at the bakery getting a sandwich for Captain Caveman to take with him on his 2 hour bus ride to Diagoras airport in Rhodes. The bus was at 7am so we said our goodbyes and, of course, I was sad to be parting ways again but it made sense for me to stay in Turkey while Captain Caveman spent the rest of his 41 days out of Turkey. Money was tight and I needed to work so there was no point me going with Captain Caveman, spending more money.
I took Xena for a walk, she was a bit sad and didn’t want to go far so we just did the short walking route which Steve had suggested. I had grapes, a peach and some yoghurt for breakfast and then worked from 11am to 4.15pm with breaks in between. This meant I had already worked a bit of my time from next week. When I went to take some washing in, I noticed that someone had put some discarded takeaway food on to the terrace for the cats to eat. It looked greasy and smelled disgusting so I removed it and threw it away. Apollo was not happy with that decision and had a face on with me. When I fed the cats the Friskies, they went mental for it, apparently it’s got something in it that makes it very moreish. For my dinner I made egg fried rice which I had with some left over pork, onion and potatoes – it was very nice. Xena had snuggles as she was missing Captain Caveman and we had a quiet Friday night in. She wasn’t sick again but I wanted to stay in with her, just in case.
I was looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday 16th September but at 4.15am Xena was sick again. Trixie knew Xena was out of sorts so we all got on the sofa in the living room for cuddles. It was just bile but I was worried and decided to just walk her a short way around the block at 7am. By 7.30am we were back and Xena was hiding behind a tree in the garden while I watered the plants. Before 10am I had a video call with Captain Caveman who was concerned if Xena was ok too and came on the phone to talk to her. Later, I decided to nip to the shops to stock up on things to take back to Turkey, as well as a few provisions to tide me over at Steve and Michelle’s for the next few days. I spent almost €18 (£16) on Teriyaki sauce, Sweet & Sour sauce, bacon lardons, cereal, pitta bread, crisps, plums and snackpots – using the rest of the cash Euros I had left. Aside from that quick shop, I stayed close to Xena and kept an eye on her. For dinner I ate the mushroom snackpot, some crisps, bran flakes and a couple of plums. I watched a bit of TV but had an early night.
It was Captain Caveman’s last day in Rhodes on Thursday 14th September, as he was catching a flight to the UK tomorrow. He would spend a month in Europe, seeing family and friends and I hoped to meet him in Italy if work and funds allowed. I still had another 5 days in Rhodes then I was going back to Dalyan. He took Xena on her last morning walk with him and I knew they were going to miss each other. Our first job of the day was to go to buy the pet food. I’d consulted with Steve who had told us which ones to get. The big supermarket they go to, near Faliraki, has it much cheaper than a local supermarket but we had no option as there was very little left. At ABC Supermarket we bought the following: Fairy Liquid 2.79 2 x Dog food 3.74 2kg Friskies Cat food 10.70 Total Spent €17.23 (£15.04)
After shopping, we saw Mark and Maria, in Memories bar sat having a coffee so we went to join them. I ordered a juice but Captain Caveman ordered an Alpha beer! By 12.30pm we had been for a walk to find the house Captain Caveman had booked for us and my parents when they come to visit next month. It was very close to the village centre and looked like it would be a lovely Airbnb so I was pleased. Next, we went to Cuckoo’s Nest for coffee (I had water) with Louise and Mark. It was Steve’s birthday today so we took a photo to send to him. Captain Caveman had been trying to have pistachio ice-cream since being in Lardos but they never seemed to have any. Today they did, on his last day, so he had one and I had a lemon sorbet. Back home we had bread, hummus and Baba Ghanoush for lunch and we had plans to celebrate our last night together for a while, with a meal out. We didn’t have much money between us so we didn’t want to go mad. In Rhodes I can’t change lira and some places won’t accept my Turkish bank card.
We started our evening out with Mojitos at Cuckoo’s Nest and for some reason my Turkish bank card does not like the machine there as it wouldn’t work. Captain Caveman had to pay using the last of our cash Euros, aside from his bus fare to the airport tomorrow. We had a gorgeous meal that evening at one of my favourite restaurants in Rhodes, Valantina’s. Here’s what we had with the prices in Euros; 1 cheese balls starter 7.50 1 Moussaka 11.50 1 Tomahawk pork steak 15.90 2 Carafes of red wine 16.00 Total spent €50.90 (£44.43)
My pork steak and all the trimmings was amazing and I think Captain Caveman wished he’d had that, even though his moussaka was nice, just not as big a portion. Valantina’s was definitely on the list for when my parents visited Lardos too. The complimentary pomegranate ouzo shots went down well and we wandered home feeling satisfied, with some leftovers for me and Xena. We decided to finish off the night watching a bit of Jimmy Car on Netflix but Captain Caveman fell asleep.
I worked from 8.30am to 11.30 am on Monday 11th September, while Captain Caveman went shopping and prepared meals. Here is what he bought at the shops with prices in Euros; ABC Supermarket 1 orange pepper 1.16 Orange juice 1.29 Mayonnaise 1.99 Grapes 2.08 Baba Ghanoush 2.50 Hummus 2.50 Eggs 2.69 Spaghetti 3.04 Cheese 3.12 Total Spent €20.37 (£17.65)
After a quick break to let Xena on the garden, check on the cats and discuss meal plans for today, I was back at work until 1pm. I had a chicken wrap for lunch with chicken, rocket and a bit of cheese then got back to work until 6pm. At 6.30pm we went to the pharmacy and to buy another notebook and pen. Here’s what I bought from the chemist, who was super helpful and offered advice on how to get rid of my eczema (which was definitely getting worse on my back): Paracetamol tablets 2.00 Aerolin Inhaler 2.20 Imodium tablets 4.51 Aloe Vera Gel 12.00 14 Farviron Tablets 20.94 Total Spent €41.65 (£36.09)
I’d ran out of Aloe Vera gel, which I buy much cheaper in Dalyan and use to soothe my eczema so we had to pay the price. The medication to treat the eczema is an anti-fungal tablet, usually used to treat thrush. The chemist told me it was expensive but would definitely work so I took his advice and got it. This was probably the most expensive medication I had ever purchased. I had no idea how much it would be over the counter in England but I did think the inhaler was very cheap. On the way home we called in to the supermarket to cost up dog and cat food as we were running out and we decided to take photos and ask Steve and Michelle which would be best, before buying any. We weren’t flush and didn’t want to be wasting money unnecessarily, I also thought we had an extra cat as Steve had mentioned they had 13 but I was convinced there was 14.
We had a couple of drinks at Yamas Bar and then went home for a cat count to check that I wasn’t feeding one extra. Captain Caveman made a pasta with pesto sauce for dinner which was very tasty and I was getting used to having my chef back. I put the aloe vera gel on, took the first of the 14 tablets and hoped the €21 had been worth it. We were going to watch another film but it was getting late so we went to bed after pet cuddles.
I worked 9am to 4pm on Tuesday 12th September, with breaks for lunch and pet checking. I had buttered toast and a cup of tea for breakfast, once Captain Caveman and Xena had come back from their walk and the cats had all been fed. We had a bit of a picnic style lunch with all of the stuff we had in the fridge. At 6pm I had got myself involved in a cat photo identification parade as I tried to work out which cat was which and who the extra one was. I had already eliminated Billy Big Bollocks from next door who came to bully Steve and Michelle’s cats and try to steal their food – he was not included in the total amount of cats. In the end, it turned out I was correct about the number of cats that Steve and Michelle were responsible for, but it was 13 plus Billy Big Bollocks who they sometimes feed but I hadn’t been! I’d been thinking that Winnie and the Bella Lookalike were different cats but they were actually the same one! For dinner Captain Caveman made chicken fajitas with wraps and they were very good. We watched Ted Bundy & the Green River Killer later on but that was also a bit of a let-down and Captain Caveman fell asleep this time.
Captain Caveman and I had established roles by Thursday 7th September; I was in charge of cats, pet feeding, garden watering and working while Captain Caveman was responsible for laundry, dog walking and preparing lunch and dinner. Xena absolutely loves Captain Caveman and she was so much calmer under his watch, it was cute to see them together. I had a banana and a cup of tea for breakfast, he had some sausage/tomato and sourdough combo. For lunch we had Baba Ghanoush, hummus and pita bread. For dinner it was pasta again followed by peaches with yoghurt. I worked from 8am to 5.55pm with breaks in between. There was more after work shopping and here are the items we got, with prices in Euros:
ABC Supermarket Bag 0.15 Blue Cheese 1.80 Halloumi 3.32 Chicken 11.92 Total Spent €17.19 (£14.94)
The other supermarket Bag 0.12 Mushrooms 0.61 Potatoes 0.88 Peppers 1.53 Eggs 1.53 Pesto 3.68 Total Spent €8.35 (£7.25)
Because I got a bit peckish in between meals I ended up eating some biscuits from the cupboard which were not diet friendly but I did only consume 14 syns, making it a total of 31 syns so far this week.
Wednesday 6th September was a much less hectic day. Captain Caveman and I started the day with a short walk round the block with Xena, the dog. We did 4km and were back home before 8am, for me to get ready for work and to feed the cats. As it was Fat Club day back in Dalyan, I got weighed on Steve and Michelle’s scales to find I was 1.3kg lighter than when I was last here, a month ago. Captain Caveman was 1.5kg more than last time. My measurements weren’t so good though, as I had lost 2cm from my bust but put on 4cm on my waist and 1cm on my hips. For breakfast we were rather naughty and had croissants from the Lardos bakery on the way back from ABC Supermarket. Here’s what we bought at the supermarket and the prices in Euros: Bag 0.15 Tomatoes 0.62 Pasta 0.79 Potatoes 0.89 Red Onions 1.03 Peaches 1.85 Hummus 2.37 Baba Ghanoush 2.50 Yoghurt 3.54 Gluten Free Sausages 4.58 Coffee 5.31 Total Spent €23.63 (£20.53)
As expected, the shopping basket in Rhodes is more expensive than what I’m used to in Turkey, but it wasn’t ridiculous. After working for a couple of hours, I had a break for lunch with Captain Caveman, we had salad with the hummus and Baba Ghanoush and some lovely sourdough, also from the bakery. I went back to work until 6.15pm then had a break and another walk. On the way back home we called at a different supermarket to buy the following: Washing Powder and Fabric Softener €9.79 3 boxes of passata €1.78 Toothpaste €1.35 Total Spent €15.55 (£13.51)
Toothpaste is more expensive in Dalyan but washing powder is almost half the price and it’s always interesting shopping in foreign supermarkets you’re not familiar with, while trying to pick out some bargains. For dinner, Captain Caveman made sausage and veg pasta in a tomato based sauce, which was really delicious and had some leftovers for tomorrow.
I spent the morning of Friday 25th August making sure I had all the paperwork and information that I needed for my residency renewal appointment. Next week we were able to apply for the appointment date as it can be applied for up to 60 days before my existing expiry date. At 11am, we were all booked in to BC Spa for our spa treatments which consisted of a foam and scrub in the hamam, a face mask and a massage. The classic package cost us £35, lasted 75 minutes and was really good, even better than the last time I had it. For lunch the 3 of us treated ourselves to a meal at Egehan with a glass of wine. We had complimentary starters of hummus, red pepper and walnut dip and baba ghanoush – all were delicious. For mains we had the following; Clare Sea Bass 370 lira (£11), Kelly meatballs 300 lira (£8.96) with an extra side salad instead of the usual rice and chips, I had mantı, Turkish pasta, 270 lira (£8.06). The food was delicious and it’s a lovely little boutique hotel with dining by the pool. After Egehan, the girls fancied an ice cream so I introduced them to the delights of Cherry Up where they both selected 3 scoops in a tub for 70 lira (£2.09) each. I’m not a huge ice-cream fan so I didn’t have any, I was still full from lunch. Our next stop was the supermarket as we had decided to stay in at BC Spa tonight. We chose to take a bit of a buffet/picnic approach where I bought the shopping and the girls bought the wine. Here’s what was in the shopping basket and the prices in lira:
Kelly and Clare thought it might make a nice addition to our evening dining to get some takeaway meat from the Kokoreç place. We waited for a fresh portion to be cooked but I wasn’t sure if it would be very nice, especially as I don’t tend to like eating lamb or goat. It cost 180 lira (£5.37) for just 100g so it wasn’t cheap but it is considered a delicacy in Turkey.
I called at home on the way back so that I could get changed and pick up a corkscrew, more wine from the fridge and a few bits and bobs from the fridge/cupboard. We had a feast and plenty of wine, while chatting away. The ofal didn’t end up getting eaten as it looked disgusting when we took off the lid and none of us could bring ourselves to taste the very fatty, now cold, meat. I got home after 1am, a little merry after another great day with my friends.
It was Captain Caveman’s last day in Phong Nha on Wednesday 23rd August; his caving season had ended and he would be off to Saigon tomorrow for some fun before he flew to Turkey. Meanwhile in Dalyan, for some reason, I stopped writing down what I ate as from today which meant I was likely to go off track with my Slimming World Plan. I got weighed at home and had stayed the same as last week. Strangely, my measurements were a bit unusual this week; I’d put 4cm on my bust, lost 2cm from my waist and 4cm from my hips. This was the slimmest my waist had been in ages and was only 2cm away from my target. I still had Fat Club Carol’s scales to face this afternoon so I would see how I did there. I popped to the bank to withdraw some cash as I was running low and had a leisurely morning. I checked flights to Naples and found that for me they were around £130 one way, via London or Istanbul. For my parents they were only around £25 from Manchester. I messaged Kelly who was already on her way here, to ask about plans for meeting later. Fikri was already booked for a taxi to pick Kelly up from Dalaman airport when she landed at 9.35pm and take her to BC Spa, where she was staying for 5 nights. We agreed to play it by ear for this evening as she wasn’t certain how late it would be or how tired she might feel and would text me when she got to the hotel. At Fat Club I had also stayed the same as last week which was a bit disappointing but, not a loss. On my way home I did a bit of shopping and here’s what I got, with prices in lira.
Migros Supermarket
Green tea 16.90 UHT skimmed milk 20.50 1 can boiled beans 21.50 6 eggs 27.75 2 cans of pink grapefruit drink 30.00 Walnuts 44.50 Fabric Softener 67.50 Total spent 228.65 lira (£6.72)
Şok Supermarket
Plastic bag 0.25 Washing powder 175.25 Total spent 175.50 lira (£5.16)
Again, I’d made the sensible choice not to go to Rehab bar to meet the pool gang and be tempted to drink too much alcohol. I did eat macaroni cheese balls done in the airfryer for lunch which was a bit naughty and not diet friendly at all. I sat on the balcony and chilled out a bit but the new holiday renters staying in the apartment opposite were very noisy, especially the father of the English family. They spent hours in the pool as it was still hot at 6pm, I couldn’t fault them even though I still hadn’t been in our pool yet. For dinner I tried something new, airfryer cauliflower steaks and roasted veggies which I had on the balcony with a vodka and grapefruit.
At 11pm, Kelly contacted me from the hotel and was up for meeting up. I walked over to BC Spa and we had a big hug – it had been far too long! Thinking we would just go somewhere nearby, I suggested Okyanus for a drink and a catch up but it might have been the wrong choice. We ordered a bottle of white wine and Kelly had not had dinner so she asked our friendly waiter, Bakı, if she could just have tomatoes and cucumbers as a salad. He was very obliging and I’ve known him for some years now. He took a bit of a shine to Kelly so we couldn’t enjoy much of a private conversation without him joining us – one of the downsides of living in paradise but Kelly didn’t mind. I walked Kelly back the short distance to BC Spa where she had a lovely room and we arranged to meet tomorrow, ready for Clare arriving. I got in just after 1am and was so excited to have seen Kelly again, this next few days was going to be amazing!
joloyolo 