Dalyan – 17th November

Captain Caveman had changed the walk on Sunday 17th November to an easy one as the one he had planned would have been slippery and wet after last night’s storm. He was up early and took the dogs out for their walk first and then brought me a cup of tea in bed. My weather app predicted more rain today but Captain Caveman has more weather apps that said it was going to be fine. Once I had fed the dogs and Captain Caveman had his breakfast and left for the walk, I put all the ingredients for a bolognese in the slow cooker. I also made myself a pho for breakfast and really enjoyed it before getting on with work, as well as doing some writing I needed to do. I added more items to the shopping list and, when Captain Caveman got back from his walk we had cheese sandwiches for lunch. The Sunday Walk had turned out to be a good one and they hadn’t had the rain predicted. I could’ve gone but I had the dogs to look after and it was too far for their little legs to manage.

I had a bit of a mission that I needed to carry out in the afternoon as I had agreed to update Matt, Vanessa’s husband’s, Play Station at their apartment. I decided it would be a good idea before I got on the phone with Matt to go round (I had a key) to their apartment and check I could switch on the electric and that the internet would work. Captain Caveman and I took a dog each and did a walk along the way, when we arrived at Vanessa and Matt’s I realised there are cats living there so Norman and Edna had to wait outside the gate with Captain Caveman. I got in the apartment and found the meter to switch on but while I was there I heard the neighbour, shouting me. I came downstairs and she said that her and Captain Caveman had heard me shouting – I had not uttered a word. I went back up and as I reached their apartment door, it was closed and the key was inside.
Oh shit, I was in a dilemma and had already sent Captain Caveman and the pooches off back home. I messaged Vanessa to tell her what had happened. Luckily, there was a spare key and all was ok. Not even an hour later, I had logged in to the device, followed Matt’s instructions over the phone and sorted it out. I’d even learned a new skill of being able to use a Play Station controller, which was a first for me – a man definitely invented that gadget!
On the way back home, I called at the shop for a few essentials and here’s the details;

Migros Supermarket
1 pack of filo pastry 54.95
1kg Sweet potatoes 73.10
A 1.6kg chicken 124.40
400g of beef mince 191.96
Total spent 444.41 (£10.17)

Of course, the beef mince was expensive but I didn’t realise that I had got it at a better discount than it should’ve been as I chose the 7% fat as opposed to the 20% fat, but still got it for the same price as the fattier meat. That evening we had Spaghetti Bolognese for dinner with some red wine and we took the dogs out together. Norman and Edna were reluctant to go out but I think it was because they knew it was rainy/stormy.
I had a video call with Vanessa and she updated me on everything she had done since leaving Dalyan, 12 days ago. Her trip to Istanbul had been good and she was glad to be back in the UK. While we were on the call, my Resort Experts Facebook page had hit 10,000 views and it had not been active a month yet, so I was pleased things were taking off a little bit.
Downstairs, I got relegated to the sofa where I get a stiff neck if watching TV, while Captain Caveman and the dogs comfortably took the other sofa. By 10pm, all 3 of them were fast asleep and snoring away.

Photo credit – some photos taken by people on the Sunday Walk, including Captain Caveman

Dalyan – 16th November

I walked Norman & Edna on the morning of Saturday 16th November and left Captain Caveman in bed. It had meant to have been the day of the Dalyan Christmas fayre but it had been postponed due to the forecast rain – and rain it did!! We managed to not get soaked and I fed the dogs their breakfast which they absolutely wolfed down. By 9am the dogs were napping on the sofa and I had tea and toast for breakfast. I thought we would be going to the weekly market this week so I made a list, which only had a few things on. Captain Caveman was still in bed, probably playing Bridge, and I was starting to worry a bit more about him now. We didn’t bother with the market in the end.
I did a bit of work and I suggested a walk with the dogs to get us both away from phones and laptop. We didn’t go too far as it was about to rain and when I got back, we had a message from Jamie to say he was in Bulgaria already. I cracked a wasted joke about uncles and the Wombles on Edna’s behalf. We had soup for lunch and I got back on with work while Captain Caveman played Bridge and stroked the snoozing dogs.
At 2.50pm the rain eased off a bit and I wandered round to say bye to my parents who were leaving for the airport at 3pm. Captain Caveman stayed with napping Norman and Edna as we were not really sure whether to leave them alone at our place yet. When I got to my parents, I was chatting to Mom but Dad was already on a mission to leave so he didn’t really speak much. The taxi was early so, of course, Dad had to rush to go to it and we said a quick bye at the gate. Mom and I were a little teary but Fikri, the driver, made us laugh. It’s always harder when you can’t say ‘see you in so many weeks/months’.
As I walked back to Fire Opal a stray dog spotted me and came to lick my hand as I tried not to cry. The rain came down and I was home, having said bye to the stray by 3.05pm.
The evening walk was less dry and only I went with Norman and Edna, all 3 of us ending up absolutely soaked and having to use 2 of our bath towels and my travel towel to dry the dogs. They were looking very sorry for themselves and were definitely adding this to the complaint list. I made Slimming World style pizza wraps after feeding the dogs their dinner first. The dogs slept in their bed in our downstairs, while Captain Caveman and I were upstairs but there was a bad storm and I wondered if they would settle ok.

Dalyan – 15th November

Friday 15th November was my parents’ last day in Dalyan, as they were off back home to Sheffield tomorrow. I was feeling a bit sad as I had no idea of when I would see them again and hated not being able to plan. They had been here since late September and I felt like I’d not seen them as much this time in Dalyan. To make up for not seeing my parents in bars and restaurants, as we chose to stay home, I had invited them over for dinner for their last night. Captain Caveman brought me a cup of tea in bed and asked if I was ok – he doesn’t usually enquire about feelings so he could tell I was sad. Luckily, he knew to remind me that I would soon be cheered up as I had a couple of visitors on their way.
Captain Caveman went to Bridge Club, I got up and ate my overnight oats for breakfast but was still in my lounge wear when the doorbell rang. Jamie was here with Norman and Edna and they were super excited to see me. The dogs were going to be staying with us, even though we aren’t allowed dogs on the complex so we had to keep them in our apartment and not let them bother anyone. Jamie didn’t stop long, he dropped off 2 leads, 2 food bowls, 1 water bowl, medicine, food, a few poo bags and a dog bed. By 10.35am both Norman and Edna had found a comfy spot each on the sofa while I did some work.
When Captain Caveman returned, we ate cheese and olives and leek & potato soup for lunch before taking the dogs for a quick walk. At home, Norman and Edna live in a villa and are used to saying when they want to go in the garden but at our place we are on the first floor so it’s not as easy to let them out. Once back home, I went out a couple of times, once to the bank, then to find Captain Caveman some ground coffee – he had almost run out of the Vietnamese one and I imagine he would miss not having that. I found some alternatives in Migros but, given I never drink coffee, I took photos and came back to check before buying any. Here’s what I did buy, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
1.2kg Carrots 32.44
Chocolate cakes 34.50
15 eggs 79.50
A 1.6kg Chicken 126.00
Total spent 272.44 lira (£6.23)

Yaman Bufe 2
2 bottles of Idol wine 430.00
1 bottle of Isabey wine 215.00
Total spent 645.00 lira (£14.76)

While Captain Caveman played Bridge on his phone and cuddled the dogs, I spent the afternoon doing a bit of work and then preparing for dinner with my parents. As the electricity had been on and off, I almost didn’t get any Yorkshire puddings in but Captain Caveman helped me get them done in the air fryer. We walked the dogs again and took them via my parents so we could walk back with them to ours. Norman and Edna were really pleased to see Granny Annie and Grandpa Stupot, as we affectionately call my parents. Edna was so excited and wanted some wine but Little Daddy (Jamie) had put her on a diet and neither dog was allowed any treats. As Norman already had the runs we kept them on water and no snacks – they were likely to put in a complaint.
The rest of us took advantage of wine and a roast chicken dinner, although Mom really was taking it easy and only had a couple of wines with soda all night. They were flying at 6.25pm tomorrow and she didn’t want to be hungover to go to the airport. We had a lovely evening and I was disappointed after my parents left that none of us took any photos of our last night together. Before bed, we took out Norman and Edna for another toilet walk, just around a block or two. It was cold out and we all were pleased to get back indoors.

Dalyan – 14th November

There was some excitement on Thursday 14th November as my parents and I had arranged for the 4 of us to meet up and go out for a bit of a treat. I had Pho Ga (chicken noodle soup) for breakfast and a cup of green tea. Captain Caveman was Bumming and would be rushing to get back in time for the taxi. I went to the bank and noticed that our neighbour in A Block and her painter team were hard at the painting, even Aslı herself was getting handy with a paintbrush. I decided to wear a red dress and my fancy jelly shoes, the ones Khanh Linh, in Phong Nha, had bought me as a gift and they looked a bit more respectable than my porter sandals. It was great that it was the middle of November but still warm enough in the day to have bare legs.

My parents had arranged for Fikri to pick them up and we were meant to be at theirs in time but as we dashed over there, we met the taxi. We drove over to Yalıcapkanı restaurant, which translates to Kingfisher, and has had a recent refurb. I’ve not been there for a while and they only had certain things left on the lunch menu as they were changing the menu as of that evening. We were lucky to be the only customers in the restaurant because we had gone for a late lunch.

For starters we each chose something and shared it all; mezes including a chickpea and red pepper dip, artichoke, atom with chillies and liver with red onion. We were given warm bread, oil and cheese to go with it and it all tasted amazing. Captain Caveman drank beer while the rest of us ordered a glass each of wine, which was very nice and cost 220 lira (£5) per glass. For mains we had a limited choice because each of our first choices weren’t available. Dad had wanted lasagne but plumped for the chicken with mash, my mom chose seafood linguine, while Captain Caveman and I both had the meatballs. The waiter and other staff were very nice, even told my Dad he had ordered the best dishes, and took a photo of us all.

It was so sunny in the light and airy, newly decorated restaurant and we also had a walk around the grounds after our food. We perused the dessert menu and all ended up choosing either Goat’s milk ice cream (Captain Caveman and Mom) or a cheese cake. I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch, including the pomegranate cheesecake, and was glad that our last meal out with my parents had been so good. The waiter had been right about my dad’s choice as the chicken was excellent. The cost for 4 of us with a drink, starters, mains and desserts came to 5,000 lira (£114.42) so just under £30 per person, not bad for a 3 course lunch out at a beautiful place.

We waited for the taxi while watching some turtles have an orgy, which is always nice! Back at home the painting of the outside of the complex was making the place look much better.
Captain Caveman had been away from his Bridge for too long so he spent the rest of the day doing that. We didn’t bother with any dinner that evening, as we were full. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day as we had visitors coming.

Photo credit – some photos taken by Mom and

Dalyan – 13th November

There was no Turkish class on Wednesday 13th November as our teacher was on a holiday, which gave me a couple of hours free to do my blogging. It was a lovely sunny day in Dalyan as I got on the home scales and took my measurements. Surprisingly, I had lost 1.05kg (2.3lb) on the home scales but, as we know, I had to wait until this afternoon to get on Carol’s scales at Fat Club. My measurements were very favourable with 2cm off my chest, 1cm off my waist and 3cm off my hips. Captain Caveman had only lost 0.05kg this week and I think he expected more, as did I. It was definitely making a difference us not drinking alcohol so much and it was helping to lose the weight.
As I left the house that day, Aslı (from A Block) and her painter friends were doing some cutting down of the bushes that the gardener had not done last month, so that the painting could be done. There was a young boy doing some painting with his mother and an older grandmother sat supervising – it looked like Aslı had a whole family doing the painting. They had cut down quite a lot of the bushes and put them at the bottom of the steps and gate to our apartment. Luckily, I could pick up the branches and move them to get out of the house because I was meeting with a clothes buyer. This lady bought another item and we had a good chat before I nipped for a bit of shopping. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;

Şok Supermarket
Green peppers 16.87
Wine gums 17.00
Cake mix 21.85
10 eggs 65.00
550g chicken breasts 115.50
Total spent 236.22 lira (£5.42)

Back at home, I had a chicken wrap with lettuce and cabbage in it and then popped back out to meet another clothes buyer. The lady was coming to buy a dress but it didn’t fit, she did try on a couple of others and ended up buying 2 dresses, instead of the one she came for.

In the afternoon I went confidently to Fat Club thinking I would have lost 1kg, as I had this morning at home. Unfortunately, I had lost only 0.15kg (0.3lb) which was quite poor but still a loss. I still had 2kg to lose to reach my target and it was proving difficult. I didn’t help myself, though, as I went to the shop on the way home and bought some treats, here’s the prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
2 Dido chocolate (Gold) bars 31.00
1l Schweppes tonic 45.00
1l Schweppes pink grapefruit 45.00
2 Quark 59.90
Mushrooms 74.95
Total spent 255.85 lira (£5.87)

For dinner, Captain Caveman made chicken fajitas which were really nice and we used Quark instead of sour cream. At 8pm it was the Resort Experts team meeting and we had some training on Costa Blanca and learned about a luxury villa website that Resort Experts were launching soon. We were going to be able to ask villa owners we knew around the world to list their properties so that we could offer these to any customers looking to book a luxury villa for their 2025 holidays. I already had a couple in mind from Vietnam and Thailand which I hoped would be suitable to be added. Jamie and I also decided that we were off to Costa Blanca at some point next year.

Dalyan – 12th November

I had my usual cup of Yorkshire tea in bed on Tuesday 12th November and waited until Captain Caveman had eaten his breakfast and gone to Bridge Club. I made veggie egg fried rice again for my breakfast and then got on with more work. I was finding that friends from old jobs and people I had met travelling were getting in touch now for enquiries on various destinations and I had started to look into more themed types of holidays that I could help with. As I sipped my green tea I was looking at all different countries and destinations, many of them I had been to myself. Despite having worked in social media content creation for some time, it was still taking some time to get my new Resort Experts page seen so I was asking all my friends to like and follow to improve this. I got notification that I had hit the 100 reactions to my posts in the last month, but I needed more! If you have Facebook please follow and like my Resort Experts page, here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567498001133&mibextid=ZbWKwL

For lunch we had bread, olives and leek & potato soup and I was hoping I had done enough this week to have a loss at Fat Club tomorrow. Captain Caveman very kindly decided to chop some vegetables for me to cook for dinner as he had decided he would be making a pasta sauce base. In the evening we had a chicken dinner with garlic, potatoes, carrots, onions and cabbage. I temporarily forgot that it was the night before weigh in and Captain Caveman and I decided to share a bottle of white wine, thus ending the week on 163 syns – would that mean I didn’t lose any weight this week!?

Dalyan – 11th November

There was a planned power cut on Monday 11th November but we couldn’t work out whether our street was 9am to 1pm or 2pm to 5pm. I decided to have a veggie egg fried rice for my breakfast before the electric went off, so that I wouldn’t be too hungry at lunch. Captain Caveman had already had his, played some bridge and then left around 10am for Dogging. I did some writing as it’s something I don’t need to be connected to the internet or have power for. The electric didn’t go off until lunch time and it was fortuitous that I had prepared a salad for lunch. When he returned from Dogging, Captain Caveman had a shower and then we went to the shops – here is what we bought, prices in lira;

Şok Supermarket
Wraps (lavaş) 43.50
Kitchen roll 65.00
630g chicken breasts 132.30
Olive oil 245.00
Total spent 485.00 lira (£10.97)

Green Grocers
Red peppers 90 lira (£2.04)

In Turkey, olive oil is known for being pricey but kitchen roll is so cheap! Our salad was rather good and Captain Caveman added boiled eggs to his.
The electricity came back on after only a short time and I managed to have a hot drink while doing some more work on the laptop. We both went back to the shop later, as I needed a break from my screen, here’s the details of what we got and the prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
2 bags pasta 23.50
Green peppers 67.95
Feta style cheese 74.75
Ricotta style cheese 79.90
Sucuk 95.90
4 tins of tomatoes 119.80
1kg Melty cheese 244.90
Total spent 706.70 lira (£15.99)

Unfortunately, cheese can be expensive in Dalyan, with just the melty stuff costing a third of the total bill. We were also being even more frugal than usual as an unplanned for amount of money had to be paid without much notice. Captain Caveman had agreed to give 5,000 lira (£113) to Aslı, our neighbour in A Block. She had quoted all the owners a total of over £1,000 for the whole block to get the external garden walls painted. I’d have done it myself if I’d known how much it would be! When we came back in from the shops the painter looked like he had made a start. Captain Caveman didn’t seem too put out at the cost but I wish we’d got other quotes to compare. For dinner, Captain Caveman made us a pasta dish which is always really tasty.

Dalyan – 10th November

Captain Caveman’s alarm went off at 7.30am on Sunday 10th November and he was up out of bed prompt. I looked at the weather forecast and it looked a bit cooler and like it might rain. When I checked outside it was dry and, as I was awake so early, I decided I would join Captain Caveman and my parents on the Sunday Walk today. I borrowed one of Captain Caveman’s jackets in case it did rain and we left the house just after 8.30am. As I got down the stairs the rain started and I put the orange coat on, but Captain Caveman reassured me that it wouldn’t be heavy rain.
There were still a fair few attendees for the Sunday Walk and we waited under the shelter of the Kaunos Tea Gardens for any last minute arrivals. Even though Captain Caveman posts the event on the Dalyan in Winter Facebook group, he rarely knows who, if anyone, is definitely coming so he only waits for people past 9am if he knows a person is coming. In my experience most people who turn up don’t say they are coming, in case they decide not to on the day.

Today was also the anniversary of Ataturk’s death so at 9.05am the sirens sounded and all the Turks stood still and silent. We also honoured this observation before setting off on the walk, mainly out of respect and because of a short downpour. The walk went better and quicker than I thought it would, with a bit of intermittent rain. It was actually nice to walk without being hot and sweaty. Back at the tea gardens, Captain Caveman and I shared a cheese and onion toastie and we both had a tea. When I looked over to my parents, Dad was on the Efes Malt and it was only 11.30am on a Sunday – he had not realised it was still morning!

Back home we had more lunch, soup yet again (I was determined to hit that weight target by the end of the year). I worked all afternoon and then sorted us out with some curry and steamed rice for dinner. Tomorrow there was notification of a planned power cut in the morning, so I was glad that I had worked on a Sunday until gone 11pm and could have a rare lay in.

Photo credit – some of the Sunday Walk taken by Captain Caveman

Dalyan – 9th November

On Saturday 9th November, things got a little bit unpredictable; Captain Caveman did not get up before me, nor did he make me a cup of tea in bed. We had said last night that we would get up early to go to the market but it looked like Captain Caveman had changed his mind.
I made my own tea and had some buttered toast and a banana for breakfast, while I waited for Captain Caveman to get up, as he said he would do shortly. I chopped all the veg to make a large amount of leek and potato soup and put it all in the slow cooker with some vegetable stock. It would be ready around 1pm, in time for lunch and with some leftover to batch up for the freezer. I got impatient waiting for Captain Caveman to come downstairs and went to check on him. He still hadn’t got out of bed and was on his phone, scrolling at a load of what I would describe as ‘crap’. I needed to go to the bank and I was also meeting a lady as I had some clothes for sale, which she was interested in buying an item from me. I was now down to a size 12 so I had lots of clothes that were far too big for me and were taking up space in the wardrobes and cupboards. Captain Caveman said he would be up and ready for the market after I had been to my parents, the bank and met with the potential clothes buyer.
The lady bought the item and we had a lovely chat. My parents were well and were also off to the market and I could have gone with them but I hadn’t brought the shopping bags or list and I was waiting for Captain Caveman so that he could help carry all the items I had on the list. I didn’t want to be too long as I still needed to do some work and some writing and the weekends are the busiest times for enquiries so I wanted to make sure I was available. I also needed to be back to turn off the slow cooker with the soup in.
Having been in and out of the house twice already, it was 11.30am as I walked back in glorious sunshine to get Captain Caveman, who had assured me he would be ready to go to the market. He wasn’t, he was still laying on the bed scrolling through his phone. I got told he didn’t fancy going to the market today as he was going to have a lazy day. I was fuming, as I could have already been and done the market shopping ages ago. I would also have loved a lazy day myself but I didn’t have that choice of such a luxury. It really felt like I was trying to fight a losing battle and that Captain Caveman, who was ordinarily more of an action person, was becoming even more of an argumentative, lazy, phone addicted teenager. I wouldn’t have minded as much if he had said hours ago that he had no intention of doing what he had suggested yesterday. I was at a loss as to how to handle the situation as Captain Caveman is not someone who will do anything he doesn’t want to. I decided that all I could do is do things as if he wasn’t going to join in or be of help and then quickly adapt when he decided he would be. I asked the internet for answers but that was a lot more worrying than real life.
Finally, at gone 12.30pm, I hurried to the market and here is what I bought at each stall, prices in lira;

Stall 1
A massive white cabbage & leeks 100

Stall 2
Plums 30

Stall 3
Bazlama bread, spring onions, lettuce 140

Stall 4
Potatoes 40

Stall 5
Pumpkin & garlic 90

Total spent 400 lira (£9)

With hindsight, I should not have bothered going and maybe managed without going to the market this week. Even my favourite stall holder tried to rip me off but she had picked the wrong time and I was having none of it, right now. She’s an old lady and it could’ve been an honest mistake but I asked (in Turkish) how much the pumpkin and garlic came to, she replied 90 lira and I gave her the only note I could, a 200 lira. She then gave me 10 lira back and was about to go on with her day. I asked her where my 100 lira was and she told me I gave her 100 lira, the 200 note was still in her hand with the open bumbag and her friend was listening to me to see what I was going to do next. I again, speaking in Turkish, told her I gave her 200, that she had a 200 right there and that I had 10 lira but wanted another 100. She was about to weigh the pumpkin and garlic again but I stood firm and then got my 100 lira – we all had a laugh and I made out like she made a mistake but I was unsure if she hadn’t done it on purpose. My bag was so heavy that I had to not bother getting any more fruit or peppers as I really struggled to carry the bag.
When I put it all away at home, we had some of my homemade leek and potato soup with some of the nice bread from the market for lunch. It was gone 2.30pm when I managed to start any work and I had to be finished by 4.30pm to go to meet a friend, who was over from England but leaving to go home tomorrow. I mentioned to Captain Caveman that his laziness and lack of communication this morning had meant I was behind by a lot and he suggested we cancel going for a tea at the tea gardens with my friend. Obviously, this was because he had been playing Bridge and didn’t want to stop. I said he had to come and I had invited my parents as well. At the tea gardens we both drank fresh sage and lemon tea, which is amazing and one of my favourite teas there. My parents had a beer and we watched the sunset after my friend had arrived from her boat trip.
By 6.30pm, Captain Caveman was feeling the cold, my friend was still in her shorts so we decided to walk back home. At home, Captain Caveman tried to redeem himself by making a pasta with peppers, olives and sucuk for our dinner. I decided I had too much to catch up on tomorrow that I wouldn’t go on the Sunday Walk, despite probably needing the exercise and it being the last one my parents would be going on this year.

Dalyan – 7th & 8th November

I managed to drink a cup of Yorkshire tea brought to me in bed on Thursday 7th November by Captain Caveman who was off Bumming this morning. I was finally in the land of the living around 10am and I even managed to make myself some veggie fried rice with mushrooms, sweetcorn and egg. It took me a while to eat it but I managed, and my mouth was ok. Captain Caveman was home at lunch time and we had lentil and vegetable soup with orzo in, but no bread. Later I had a bit of feta style cheese as I was peckish, definitely a good sign. My parents popped over on their way to the shops and I gave my Mom my English bank card, which was new and the PIN needed activating in the UK. This was from the Nationwide who had finally closed my other account after 3 years of hassle.
For dinner we warmed up a mystery curry from the freezer which turned out to be the last of the chicken one that I had put beans instead of chickpeas in – it still went down well with rice and roast potatoes.

The weekend had come round quickly again and, on Friday 8th November, I started my day with a cup of tea in bed and then overnight oats for breakfast. I cracked on with work while Captain Caveman went to Bridge Club. We had more pumpkin soup for lunch upon his return. While Captain Caveman played Bridge on his phone in the afternoon, I carried on at my laptop until 4.30pm when I needed to get out for some fresh air. Captain Caveman said he would come with me and we went on a bit of a walk around Dalyan in the sunshine. It was a nice walk and we saw a dog drinking in the river and another calling in at the butchers for some meaty tidbits.
For our dinner I had defrosted the last of the Slimming World friendly Beef Kleftiko which I made yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes and cabbage to go with it. We had a couple of vodka and diet cokes as we needed to drink up some of the soft drinks in the fridge and then we were off out. It was a rare night out for a change but we had decided to only go for a couple. Jamie had invited us to join him, Drew and his brother and sister-in-law for the last evening at Aşkin’s bar. When we got there, it was quite chilly and we just had an Efes Malt for Captain Caveman and a red wine for me. It was good to catch up but after an hour or so we had to leave as Captain Caveman was not used to the cold at all. I paid the 280 lira (£6.30) bill for our drinks and we walked back to Captain Caveman’s, back to the warm.

Dalyan – 6th November

On Wednesday 6th November I was awake early and was concerned about my broken tooth issue on the chestnut last night. Captain Caveman had decided he would go to the dog shelter for a spot of Dogging this morning, as he had missed going on Monday. My parents were off to Göcek as part of their farewell to some of their Dalyan friends who were leaving this week. I got on the scales at home and did my measurements, knowing that it wouldn’t be a loss this week. I’d put on 0.25kg (0.5lb) on my scales, 2cm on my bust, 3cm on my waist and 1cm on my hips. I obviously didn’t bother with any breakfast, given that I needed an urgent dentist appointment. When I got to the Hesire Dentist, the newish one on Sulungur Caddesi, they were fantastic. I knew a few people who had been there and had recommended it. The male receptionist was quick, efficient and very informative, he gave an idea of cost before I went ahead (not that I had much choice). He did me a 360 degree x-ray and then told me that the dentist could see me right away. Once in the chair, the dentist checked me out and found that I might need root canal and a cap. He said it might hurt, I told him I’m not good with needles and that I would close my eyes. After feeling the needle pinch I made the mistake of opening my eyes and then seeing the needle, so I started to faint. The dentist tipped my chair so that my head was lower and I was ok for a few minutes. That’s when I remembered how I had reacted to the adrenalin in needles at dentists in Vietnam, just as I started to shake and get incredibly hot. Ordinarily, I might have called someone to come and help me but I had no wifi and neither did my parents or Captain Caveman where they were.
I don’t remember much after I tried to be brave and asked the dentist to put the AC on as I was dizzy. I was well looked after and had the filling done without being sick or falling on the floor (both of which I thought were a strong possibility)! The dentist told me he was finished and that I couldn’t eat or drink anything too hot or cold for the next 24 hours. I paid the nice receptionist the 3,000 lira (£68) which I didn’t consider expensive for the treatment and care I had received, without making an appointment too, and was glad to be on my way.
When I checked the time, as I walked back in to town, I was due to be at Turkish Class but I felt like I needed to lay down, my mouth was numb and I was still a bit woozy. I decided to cancel the class and go home to bed, optimistic I would still be able to make it to Fat Club at 3pm.
I had set my alarm to ring in time to get to Fat Club and, although I was still feeling groggy, in a bit of pain and couldn’t speak, I decided to brave Carol’s scales. I had already messaged ahead to say I couldn’t stay and couldn’t speak so I was, of course, disappointed when I arrived to see lots of new people. It’s always nice to see new joiners, and returners, when it gets to the winter and more of us who want to be nearer to a healthy weight than we are, by the time it gets to the colder months. I got on the scales and, to my utmost surprise, found that I weighed 1.45kg (3lb) less than last week. Maybe breaking a tooth was the way forward and it wasn’t like I was going to be able to eat much after weigh in, either. I went back home and got back in bed as I felt worn out, that adrenalin reaction and fainting had really done me in. After just 30 minutes of sleep, I was awakened by the sound of Captain Caveman juggling pots very loudly, downstairs. Although he thought he was being helpful by putting all the pots and pans away while I slept, when usually he would have been playing Bridge around this time, it wasn’t ideal for me! I had a piece of bread and cheese and warmed up some of the leftover ‘hot pot’ for my dinner. I then went back to bed and slept until the next morning, so I must’ve needed the rest.

Photo credit – Hesire dentist and Captain Caveman for the photo of Coffee, the dog.

Dalyan – 5th November

On Tuesday 5th November it was all go, seeing as yesterday I had been out at the beach for most of the day. Today was the day that Vanessa and Matt left to go back to the UK via Istanbul, Captain Caveman had a morning Bridge session and it was a month since Captain Caveman had arrived in Dalyan. Obviously, it had not been all hearts and flowers – more Bridge and me getting on Captain Caveman’s nerves for nagging him to do anything other than play or watch Bridge.
I had a reply from a very nice man at Sotheby’s who had said that, as my Egyptian fine art prints were valued at less than £5,000 he couldn’t help me. He then proceeded to help me by telling me that my particular prints were worth at least £100 each and that I should get in touch with Bonham’s in London, as well as a few other auction houses he mentioned. I went to the post office, as I was hopeful of getting my new Residency card today. The same nice man I saw on Friday, told me that yesterday the post man had come from Ortaca with it but I wasn’t in so it was now at the Post Office in Ortaca and, if I didn’t collect it this week, they would send it up to Muğla. I had spent pretty much every weekday since my appointment not going out and the day they supposedly try to deliver it, I’m out! They had not called or texted so I guessed he hadn’t actually tried to post it. What a palava, I asked the man what time the postman had been and he gave me the impression that he didn’t believe he had been either. He called the post office in Ortaca and asked them to bring it to the post office in Dalyan this afternoon and I said I would be back at 3pm. I really hoped that would happen as I didn’t fancy a bus ride to Ortaca, or a day out in Muğla trying to track down my new card.
I had overnight oats for breakfast and then nibbled on olives while doing some work. Captain Caveman came back and we had pumpkin soup with orzo and bread before I went to meet Mom and go back to the post office. As it was a new month I conducted the banking to put in my required amount in and then waited in the queue at the post office. My new residency card had arrived, only 42 days after my appointment and just 17 days after the old one expired! This gave me an indication that if I wanted to leave Turkey for longer than 15 days in 2025, I would potentially be looking at 7th May before I could book a flight, knowing that I had the card in my hand. Our next stop was Captainnet where I updated the man with my new card, he seemed happy but reminded me that even though I had a new card, it was only valid for 6 months, but I could apply again in 4 months and I could only pay my internet for 1 month at time.
Mom and I wandered over to the bank where I withdrew what I had put in and then added some more from my English account to draw out tomorrow. We called at the shop where I bought the following, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
2 tins tomatoes 59.90
Frozen berries 99.95
Total spent 159.85 lira (£3.58)

I said farewell to my Mom as my parents were off out with friends tonight for a meal.
Back home, Captain Caveman made pasta for dinner and I had a glass of white wine with it. I decided to cook some chestnuts for a snack while watching a film but had a bit of an issue. As I was eating a chestnut my tooth cracked, one with an old filling in, and the whole filling and most of the tooth came out. Just what I needed – a visit to the dentist in the morning! Tomorrow was weigh day and I had consumed 283 syns this week so tomorrow’s Fat Club weigh in wasn’t looking favourable. I took a paracetamol for the tooth pain and went to bed early.

Dalyan – 4th November

On the morning of Monday 4th November, we realised we were out of eggs so I popped to Şok Supermarket and bought 15 for 72.50 lira (£1.63) and then went back home for pancakes for breakfast. I’d got some Yorkshire pudding mixture left over from yesterday so it was silly not to eat it up.
There was a bit of excitement for a Monday, and I had decided to take myself off on location. My boss and the sales manager at Resort Experts had been advocating it in the last discussions I had had with them, so I asked if a few people fancied meeting me there, my new office for the day. I had decided that I was going to join Captain Caveman, Ian, Janet and Patricia (from the walking crew) and get a lift to the nearest beach. Captain Caveman had been in touch with the İçmeler walking group and they were doing a walk over the hills close to Iztuzu beach so he, Ian and Patricia had decided to join. Janet and I had already said it was beyond our capabilities but we could use our time wisely while waiting for them, at the beach. I don’t often get to work from the beach and I thought it would be really lovely – a bit different to my usual Mondays. My parents were up for it and said they would get the bus down, a couple of friends said they would pop down too, perhaps for lunch at the cafe. After a hot beverage and saying bye to the walking lot, there was initially just Janet and I. We took some photos and chatted and then my parents arrived. Dad went straight in to the sea and was pleasantly surprised that the temperature was still swimmable and fine once you got in. My friends were next to arrive. After a lunch of a chicken sandwich for a bargain 150 lira (£3.37), and it was rather substantial, I decided it was time for a swim in the sea. Dad was right – it was lovely.
The time flew by and, before we knew it, my parents had to get the last bus back to Dalyan, my friends had to get back as the dogs weren’t being made too welcome on the beach and had to be left in the car (with a window open).
When Captain Caveman and his walking friends returned it was certainly cracking on, timewise. Ian & Janet gave Patricia, Captain Caveman and I a lift back to Dalyan and we all got dropped off near the Waterfall bar.

I had a soda water and Captain Caveman had an Efes while I fought with my wet swimmers in the loo. I didn’t have any wifi but I was due to pop over to Vanessa’s to say bye once I got home. As we were sat there, at the bar at Waterfall, Vanessa and Matt pulled up in a car and by chance we got to say bye. They had been to ours already and left us some goodies on the stairs. Even though they were planning on spending their last evening in Dalyan at home, they had been invited to a BBQ so were off there instead.
Captain Caveman was quite tired when he got in so he lolled on the sofa playing Bridge on his phone while I made a chicken and vegetable stir fry with steamed rice for dinner. We were still peckish a bit later so we had bread and olives and some Turkish Delight while watching something on Netflix. I’d loved ‘working’ from the beach today and I felt refreshed.

Dalyan – 3rd November

It was Captain Caveman’s Sunday walk on Sunday 3rd November and this week there was a bit of excitement as we were crossing the river. I wore a red Vietnam t-shirt, cycling shorts and plastic porter sandals. I remembered to take a banana and some water as this week was a bit more hilly than usual. My parents had decided not to come as my mom had some issue with her toes and she wasn’t sure my Dad’s knees would manage it. There was quite a crowd of us and the walk turned out to be a bit too much for me, especially when I had eaten my banana early doors, then drank all of my water. We took the Portakal ferry over to the other side of the river, which cost 15 lira (34p) each, and coming back cost 25 lira (56p) each on the rowing boat. In between, there was walking on quite a tricky ‘path’ which I found too steep and the group kept having to wait for me.

When we reached the top there were some amazing views, admittedly, but I wasn’t convinced that it was worth the pain I would be in tomorrow. A few of the ladies on the walk were encouraging and one lady in particular helped me when I couldn’t even see a path to follow. When we got to the white building, which I had often seen from afar while on boat trips, I was told there was a water tap, and got excited. However, one of the ladies mentioned it had been off a couple of days ago. Captain Caveman went on ahead to check as he, another walker and me were out of water – the tap worked and he left it on. I, concerned it would run out, ran to the tap to fill up my bottle. The others laughed at me as a few minutes previously, I had been struggling to keep up with the walking pace, and running was not expected from my audience. By the time we had walked along the Kaunos city walls and were on the downhill stretch, the group were much faster and I couldn’t even see them.

When we eventually got back to the rowing boat, we went in 2 boats and even got a small discount, with their being so many of us at once. Quite a few of us were in need of a beverage at the tea gardens when we got back and I had a lemon soda while Captain Caveman had a beer, totalling 165 lira (£3.72). Even a double Turkish tea is only 15 lira (34p) there. It had been a great crowd and we were all grateful to Captain Caveman for his leading of it, I for one was way out of my depth but was thankful to have made it back.

I could hardly walk home as my legs and feet were so sore after the Sunday Walk. My parents would be pleased they had not attempted it and one lady had been glad that she had turned back at a sensible spot. For lunch, Captain Caveman put on more of the pumpkin and vegetable soup and we had it with fresh bread. I could easily have eaten it twice, even with the orzo added to make it extra filling.
There was no rest to be had, though, as I needed to get on with preparation for this evening, as I had invited my parents round for dinner. I made a beef mince and lentil ‘shepherd’s’ or ‘cottage’ pie but more like a hot pot as I used sliced normal and sweet potatoes on the top as Mom and I don’t like mash. We had red cabbage and leeks and I also did Yorkshire puddings to go with it. I had hoped to make a chocolate orange sponge for dessert but I couldn’t find any ready mix chocolate cake. My parents arrived around 7pm, Mom stuck to white wine while the rest of us drank red and we dished up the dinner. I thought it was rather tasty but Captain Caveman said he would have preferred it without the lentils in. Everyone ate it, though, and had seconds so it wasn’t that bad. It was nice to have my parents round and I think they were glad of the rest as they had been out and about with their Dalyan friends quite a bit lately. They only had 13 days left until they went back to Sheffield so they were certainly planning on making the most of Dalyan while they could – and who could blame them while the weather was still so lovely.

Photo credit – Some photos taken by others, including Captain Caveman, on the the Sunday Walk

Dalyan – 2nd November

I was somewhat woolly headed on Saturday 2nd November when the alarm went off. The plan had been to get up early and go to the market before I had to go to meet friends for an outing. I managed my cup of tea in bed and then Captain Caveman said he couldn’t be bothered to go to the market as we didn’t really need much, except we were out of potatoes. It was sunny as I took all the empty bottles to the bin and waited for Vanessa to walk towards me. She was off back to England via Istanbul on Tuesday, so I wouldn’t see her until next year. She had organised a walk to the Gunlüklü restaurant with a couple of our friends, and invited me too. I wasn’t sure if it was just my head because of the hangover but Vanessa was chatting faster and louder than usual, as we walked to meet the other 2 ladies at Waterfall.
By the time we actually got to Gunlüklü I was feeling a bit more hungover. We all ordered food and drink; I chose a big bottle of water and a pide but unfortunately the ovens weren’t on so I just ordered a plate of chips. My fellow diners ordered a tuna salad, mezes and a Spaghetti Bolognese. At Gunlüklü they offer free tea or coffee after a meal so two of us took advantage and had a Turkish tea. I mentioned I would like to get back to get to the market. We got the bill, paid individually and here’s what I spent, in lira;

Gunlüklü restaurant
1 big water 25
Chips 125
Turkish tea FREE
Total spent 150 lira (£3.39)

Here’s what I managed to buy at the market, prices in lira;

Stall 1
Potatoes 22.50

Stall 2
Bananas 55

Stall 3
Lemons & Green Peppers 25

Stall 4
Pumpkin 25

Total spent 127.50 lira (£2.88)
Quite a bargain!

On the walk home, Vanessa was chatting about her forthcoming trip to Istanbul next week and was excited to be going. I mentioned I needed to nip in to Migros to see if they had any Quark and Vanessa came with me. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
1 packet Orzo 11.75
300g Chestnuts 59.99
3 Quark 89.85
610g Chicken 166.50
Total spent 328.09 lira (£7.41)

After that, Vanessa suggested a juice in Jiks and I said yes. They didn’t have freshly squeezed juice so Vanessa treated us to a regular one for 60 lira (£1.36) each.
At home, it was as if Captain Caveman had not moved from where I left him over 6 hours ago and I didn’t even ask what I already knew the answer to.
We had diet coke chicken for dinner which I had only defrosted from the freezer and served it with steamed rice and red cabbage. It wasn’t bad for a make-do dinner.