Sheffield – 11th to 13th August

My new whiteboard was a game changer on Tuesday 11th August and I had popped it on the spare room windowsill. Captain Caveman was working on site today and tomorrow so it meant I could borrow his work desk. It was great to have more space and I had started to really get through my tasks today. At lunch time I met Vanessa who had popped over to see me. I’d had the great idea to go to The Grind cafe but it was a bit much for Vanessa’s stomach and she just had toast and I had a Greek salad. We both had a cuppa and, as the weather was nice, we sat outside. One of Vanessa’s favourite places at Kelham Island is the Fat Cat so we went there next and had just a quick drink. We chatted on about how good the 60th birthday 80s night had been and Vanessa still had some more celebrations to do next month.
Back home it was a busy admin afternoon/evening and I forgot to have any dinner.

Gratitude List
1. My improved productivity from having a new whiteboard
2. Using Captain Caveman’s desk
3. Meeting Vanessa for lunch.

Ordinarily, if I’d been in Dalyan, Wednesday 12th August would be weigh day and I’d be going to Fat Club. It had now been 7 weeks since I had last been to the group and got weighed. I knew I had put weight on, even without any weighing scales, because I could tell on photos of my face!
I decided to still take my measurements which I last did a month ago and it wasn’t quite as shocking as I’d expected. I’d lost 1cm from my bust, put 4cm on my waist (that will be the bread) and my hips had stayed the same. I decided I would walk in to town for some exercise and also I wanted to see if I could order The Handy Travel Planner at Waterstones yet. It turned out I could and they said they would order it in for me and call me when it arrived, which could take 2 weeks. I nipped in to Barclays to ask if it was ok for Captain Caveman to bring his bicycle in when he came for the mortgage appointment and while I was there I met the mortgage advisor and asked some generic questions. The mortgage advisor was very helpful and the branch had been done up very nicely. Next, I popped in to TK Maxx where I noticed a men’s manicure kit for £3 so I bought it for Captain Caveman ready for his forthcoming holidays. In Holland & Barrett I picked up some Gin Gins, tea for a bad stomach and some healthy snacks, spending a total of £9.32. I took photos of the cherry supplements for Captain Caveman so he could decide if he wanted any to help with his gout symptoms.
I had also arranged to meet my parents in town and then we were going to be doing another pub crawl in Kelham Island. Captain Caveman was working so he couldn’t be there. Ma & Pa met me outside Boots and we got on the tram and went to the Wellington for a pint. Mom got the round in and it was very reasonably priced in there and is one of our favourites. It was warm enough for a sit out in the beer garden too. Our next stop was the Alder for a quick pint each at a total of £12.46 and then we decided to try the Neepsend Social Club which is very nice and had ice cold Aircon on. We decided to order some halloumi fries and chips with our drinks and I decided to go on to wine. The round worked out slightly cheaper at £12.19 and we were the only ones in there. We also did a video message to Nanny Kay who was in the UK celebrating her birthday this year.
By this time we were peckish again but Ma & Pa didn’t fancy the main meals in the Neepsend Social Club so we decided to go for pizza at B’Reyt Dough, just round the corner. I had a pepperoni pizza and a large glass of red wine, Dad had Margherita pizza and a large red wine and Mom had a calzone and a smaller white wine. Dad ended up having a laugh with the waiter and we completely missed the eclipse. The total bill came to £62.25 for the 3 of us which my parents paid and I ended up with some leftover pizza to take home. I walked them back to the tram stop as we were all a bit merry, having had a really good time. It was also a farewell drink as all of us were going to be away on our holidays soon.

Gratitude List
1. A successful trip to town
2. Another Kelham Island pub crawl with Ma & Pa
3. Pizza and wine.

On Thursday 13th August it was more holiday planning for both me and friends. As we would be joined by Briony in Vegas she had sent her flight details through and we were lucky to be landing within 10 minutes of each other.
There was a Resort Experts Team Meeting where updates of the eagerly awaited websites were spoken of and were looking likely for next month.
In the afternoon I met with a friend who had booked to holiday in Dalyan while I was there so we had a walk to Tescos. I finally found some rice noodles and we carried on to her house for a late lunch and a glass of wine while we sorted out boat trips and taxi pick ups. I had a Greek salad pitta pocket while my fellow diner had tuna and cucumber in hers. It was a nice afternoon and we planned to meet up for drinks again very soon.
As Captain Caveman was not back until late, I got to occupy the beanbag at home but I did have trouble getting back off it.
I totted up the 2nd week of the month’s spending and it was much better than last week at £131.69, so less than £19 per day, but still too much and I needed to be more frugal next week, even though I had plans which required spending money.

Gratitude List
1. Knowing the Las Vegas arrival times were lining up nicely.
2. Rice noodles
3. Catching up with a client and friend for more holiday planning.

Sheffield – 1st August

I was so pleased to sleep in until 8am on Saturday 1st August and it felt so good. I had tea and toast before tackling the planning and budgeting for August.
It was tricky to set a budget for August as I knew I would be booking flights back to Türkiye, booking more train/bus tickets and having a few other bigger purchases coming up. Captain Caveman and I were also off on another couple of holidays at the end of August. I decided that, as I’d managed to just about survive a very busy July on £28 per day that I would set it at £25 per day for August, making the overall budget £775 for the month. This was easily twice the amount of what I would have allowed for staying in Dalyan and felt doable. I did a bit of blog editing before work, noting I was getting a bit behind on the updates due to being so busy with other stuff. The Top 3 countries reading my blog in July were UK, USA and Türkiye, followed by France, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Belgium, Australia and Vietnam (in 10th place). I had also seen a little bit of a drop in the amount of readers (6%) which often happens in the summer months as people are busy with their family and holidays. It was also due to me not having posted a blog every single day, which I needed to plan better.
After working all day, I booked a one way flight to Dalaman for me and return flights for Captain Caveman. They were with Sun Express from Manchester and, because they needed to be after work hours for Captain Caveman, they weren’t cheap. I paid £353.09 for all 3 flights (without any luggage)! I also booked a train ticket for £17 and looked at Flixbus for a cheaper alternative to airport parking for a holiday in September. My friend who I was travelling with had got it down to £124 to park outside of Heathrow airport and shuttle in (plus the cost of petrol, of course). I could not justify that price and suggested a bus for £27.30 return each! We decided to think about it and sort it when we met up, but in my mind I would much rather get the bus. I had a tidy up around the flat, put some washing on and then went back to work. I’d started to work on some quotes for the Christmas markets later this year.
Captain Caveman arrived home about 9pm as he was volunteering for the culvert walk early tomorrow morning.
He’d had a good trip and I was sad to have missed seeing Watto & Chrissy, our fellow cave/Vietnam friends who we had shared a house with in Phong Nha. He’d also called at The Courtyard Dairy near Settle, his new favourite cheese shop. He’d spent almost £35 on 4 cheeses and some membrillo and we were looking forward to having a few cheese and wine evenings. They also gave us a voucher of £10 off our next online order.

Gratitude List
1. A lay in until 8am, while Captain Caveman was away
2. Getting our flights booked to go back to Dalyan
3. Cheese.

London – 4th & 5th July

There wasn’t much happening on Saturday 4th July so I caught up on some of my blogging and writing content for my business page. At one point Captain Caveman and I got to get the diaries out and he caught me up on what plans he had scheduled in for the rest of July. We were about to have some interesting times.
At lunch time we had a walk round Barnes Pond and I ate some red cabbage and beetroot salad from Marks and Spencer for lunch.
I showed Captain Caveman’s mom some of the photos and videos from last night’s Metallica gig and she thought it was good.
For dinner we were treated to one of my favourites, a home cooked roast pork dinner – with fabulous crunchy crackling. We also had a glass or 2 of rosé wine which was rather nice. It was great being back in the UK and it was fairly warm but not quite heatwave weather (yet)!

Gratitude List
1. A relaxing day in Barnes
2. Syncing diaries with Captain Caveman
3. A lovely family dinner.

Sunday 5th July was another amazing day with some new experiences. After my mini meltdown on a hot, busy tube on Friday, Captain Caveman had been thinking of how he could avoid a repeat performance and get back for part 2 of the Metallica gig without incident. His mom had offered sage advice when I’d told her that I was definitely finding I had got worse with the feeling of being trapped; ‘get used to it and get on with it’. Captain Caveman wasn’t sure I was able to do that and had come up with an elaborate master plan within his Sunday day out.
At 9am prompt, and without any breakfast, we set off on a short walk to the bus stop, then a bus to Putney where we waited for an Uber boat at Putney Pier. Captain Caveman had popped to the bakery and got us a couple of croissants which we ate at Putney Pier and I got the flakey bits in my hair. The ticket of £22.70 each to go all the way to Barking Riverside was steep but I’d never been on this journey before. It was an absolute genius move from Captain Caveman as it was an amazing 2.5 hours of sightseeing. I’ve not spent too much time in London and I had never been this far along the river Thames before. It was a very comfortable boat with toilets and a cafe on board, I even did a bit of work while we sailed along. We saw so many famous buildings and statues, we had to get off to change boats and I even spotted a blimp which had returned to the skies after 4 years and was one of only 20-25 still remaining. When we got off we walked across some wasteland and to a train station where we got the train to Blackhorse for another surprise treat from Captain Caveman.

A table was booked at Black Cactus for 1.30pm and we arrived 15 minutes early. It was a pop up BBQ restaurant in a brandy distillery called Burnt Faith and it smelled amazing as we walked in. I walked back from the toilets to where Captain Caveman had been seated at the end of the bar and he looked to be drinking a brandy! I climbed on to my high stool to find you get given one for free so I also had a brandy. Captain Caveman also had an Espresso Martini while we perused the menu. Captain Caveman took the liberty of ordering the BBQ tray which had on the following; beef, Turkey, pork sausage, focaccia, cabbage, patatas bravas, pickles, and dips. It was pretty big but we had seen the dining couple near us order something for a starter that we quite fancied. We decided we would have that at the end of we managed the shared tray. Captain Caveman had a couple of beers with his meal and I had a couple of glasses of red wine. The food was amazing and of course we managed to finish the whole tray. This meant we could order the PBJ burnt ends and they were so good – I’ve never tasted anything like them but they were my favourite from the menu. Captain Caveman picked up the bill for the meal and it wasn’t cheap but it had been excellent and I would definitely recommend it. The staff were great too and we had a shot with the manager before we left to get the bus as it was time to go to the London Stadium.

The doors for the second part of the Metallica gig opened at 3.30pm. We had arranged to meet some friends outside for a pint before going in to the gig. Vinnie was waiting for us with a pint in hand, on some fake grass. I’d last seen him when he was visiting his brother-in-law and partner in Dalyan, his wife and I had sipped prosecco together in the pool. Captain Caveman and Vinnie had met last year at an ACDC concert. Joining us were Captain Caveman’s cycling mate, Phil, and his friend from America. We had a drink together before walking to the venue. Phil and Captain Caveman know each other through their involvement with the Saigon Children’s Charity and the cycling events that they organise and participate in, in Vietnam. Phil also had VIP tickets and was going to another gig next weekend which Vinnie was attending. They were introduced and swapped numbers and we all got to the gig in time to watch Pantera. Everyone was going mad for this support band but, if I’m honest, they weren’t for me. Metallica were absolutely fantastic again, and of course the novelty of a plane flying over the crowd while the rock songs blared out, had not got tiring to me. The finale was amazing and the gig had been a real treat for me, gearing us up for more live music this summer!
A couple of pints cost me £17.70 and the transport back to Barnes cost me £11.45 so I’d done well today on the budget because Captain Caveman had treated me to such a memorable day out.

Gratitude List
1. The Uber boat from Putney to Barking with Captain Caveman
2. Lunch and drinks at Black Cactus
3. The Metallica gig part 2 with Captain Caveman and our friends.

Dalyan to London – 2nd July

My flight on Thursday 2nd July was not until 6.30pm but I was ready for the off. The time had come to go back to the UK and spend a month with Captain Caveman. I spent the morning doing some work then put my out of office on, until it was time to say some farewells. My first one was to pop over to see Jamie and little Norman to say bye. Norman, the dog, was still doing his best to live a long and happy life but we never knew how much longer he would live – he’s 15 now. I gave him a cuddle and a peanut paw, he was happier with the treat than the affection, then had a glass of water on the patio with Jamie. I hadn’t booked my flight back yet as they were still a bit out of my budget during summer holidays. After a quick run down of where I was going to be and a bit of a chat with Jamie, I said my goodbyes and walked over to my parents’ place for the next farewell. This one was also accompanied with us going out for breakfast at Ela’s Kitchen, ironically, for bacon sandwiches. Ma and I ordered bacon and mushroom sandwiches, which were huge and came with chips and salad, Pa ordered menemen which had a few chips and some bread. We had water and coffee for Ma & Pa, Yorkshire tea for me. I was pushing the boat out as I had loads of Yorkshire teabags at home, which Richard and Michelle and very kindly brought me over on their recent visit.
It was hot in Dalyan now and we sat outside in the shade trying to tackle the huge portions. I ended up taking half of mine away for the airport and Dad ended up finishing Mom’s sandwich.
Here’s what we had and what we paid in lira for our breakfast;

Ela’s Kitchen

1 large water 140
1 Cherry juice 150
1 Yorkshire tea 160
1 Cappuccino 190
1 Caramel latte 210
1 Menemen 410
2 Bacon & mushroom sandwiches 1,000
Total spent 2,260 lira (£35.87)

I paid on card and tried to treat my parents but Mom insisted on thrusting some cash at me for their share. I said bye and left my parents to pick up a mirror from the shop and I walked up to the Dalyan Turkish Delight shop to get a few gifts. It was hot and I spent 2,093.20 lira (£33.23) on boxes of rose and pistachio Turkish Delight. It seemed a little extravagant but I wanted to get the freshest and best I could – it’s my favourite place to buy it but isn’t usually open in the winter. The man in the shop gave me a free chocolate helva and said that was for me! I also managed to sample a few, even after my breakfast.
I walked back home along the river, bumping in to friends so I got to say bye to them too. I had time for a shower and a bit of a sit down before Sonuç came to pick me up. Captain Caveman had booked me an underseat bag and cabin luggage with an aisle seat so I was happy with that.

At Dalaman airport I investigated the new CIP lounge; it’s upstairs and costs £29 if booked in advance on Wise/Revolute. If paying as a walk in customer it’s €60 and, when I asked, it was unlimited drinks and snacks for up to 3 hours. I didn’t stay as I was just doing research and I wasn’t about to waste the money when I could get 3 cocktail tins from the fridge in duty free for less. I bought 2 Margaritas and 1 Pina Colada for €11.50 (£9.83) and had my leftover bacon sandwich with a cocktail tinny for lunch, while waiting at a random gate. I took a selfie but then blocked out the brand on my can because the advertising of alcohol in Turkey is banned. It has been for a while but as from 1st July there seemed to be a surge in fining anyone who posted it on social media.
The flight was fine and full, and I arrived in to Gatwick just a little later than planned. I got the train to Barnes, changing at Clapham Junction and arrived a little earlier than Captain Caveman. He was on his way to his parents’ at the same time but I got there about 10 minutes earlier. I had an issue with my Turkish bank card only letting me tap on at Gatwick but not tap off at Barnes so it was probably going to overcharge me. My journey door to door was 7 hours and I still had some of my frozen water left. At Captain Caveman’s parents’ home, I got a warm welcome and a nice cup of tea before bed.

Gratitude List

1. Farewell breakfast at Ela’s Kitchen with Ma & Pa
2. A smooth journey from Dalyan to Barnes in 7 hours
3. A nice welcome back to Barnes from Captain Caveman and his parents.

Dalyan – 1st July

Wednesday 1st July was my last day in Dalyan for a while, as I had some fantastic summer plans – mostly spending time with Captain Caveman in the UK and to celebrate his birthday month with a couple of trips away. But first, I was making the most of my last Dalyan day, doing what I enjoyed the most – a boat trip. I was up and about 3 hours prior to the boat trip to fanny about with banking with it being a new month. I decided that a limit of £30 per day as a budget for July would be the most I could afford and I was extremely hopeful to set it at that – not completely believing I could do it.

It was weigh day but I didn’t get weighed or do my measurements, and I was missing Fat Club today.

Our boat trip was quite a full one with it being a private trip organised by friends and we had quite a few of the usual faces. It was a choppy ride out to sea and we went out quite far, way beyond Ekincik. I’d taken extra strong seasickness tablets so I was fine until someone mentioned fried eggs (I don’t like eggs) and I had to really concentrate on not being sick.

We had our first swim stop in a turquoise bay which proved a little tricky to get back on to the boat due to the swell. Luckily, Shaun was able to help Nanny Kay and I get on safely, as I didn’t have my glasses on. It isn’t usually that bad but there were lots of big tourist boats causing bigger waves. We had a lovely couple more swim stops, we even had a photo on a rock. Cath, who is a non-swimmer even enjoyed it and we had a couple of minor scrapes from messing about on the rocks. Both Keith and I had to have a plaster on! Captain Fuat always does plenty of choice on the food, and we ate fantastic BBQ food and, as it was my last boat trip in Dalyan for a bit, we had a few wines. I was so busy enjoying being on the boat and chatting to friends that I didn’t take many photos, luckily the keen photographers onboard did. Paul got some excellent photos of the group who swam on to the rocks plus a laughing donkey who posed for him. We had a really lovely trip and I was almost sad to leave, I spent £40 on the boat trip and I forget my bar bill – definitely less than £20 on wine. I got home, did the laundry, packed my bag and did a bit of a tidy round, before getting in bed. Tomorrow, my taxi to the airport wasn’t coming until 3.30pm but I still had a few plans in the morning.

Gratitude List

1. Getting the opportunity to go back to the UK again

2. A fantastic boat trip

3. Being ready to enjoy July with Captain Caveman.

Photo Credit – photos by friends on the boat, including Paul C.

Dalyan – 29th & 30th June

It was a rather busy day on Monday 29th June and I had to take some time away from my office desk to do some important things. My first job of the day was to meet a friend for a little walk before it got too hot. We walked along the river and then went to Kaunos tea gardens for brunch. We each had a bottle of water, a large Turkish tea and a cheese and onion toastie, with chips and olives for a total of 390 lira (£6.30).

I’d not checked my budget for this month as I expected I was way over and decided to do it all in a couple of days at month end. I had definitely underestimated how much money I would need for July, August and September being out of Turkey.
After a couple of customer calls, some admin and a chat with a friend it was time to venture on a hot and sweaty bus to Ortaca. I wanted to get my hair done before my next UK and Europe trip and today was the only day Emrah could fit me in at short notice.
I arrived early, and glad of the air con as Emrah and the girls worked their magic. I had to get the bus back and was meeting a friend for a farewell drink at 4pm so I asked for an updo. I paid 2,000 lira (£32.26) for the colour, cut and blow dry which I thought was very reasonable and is always so professional. I got the bus back and it was pretty packed and hot.

When I got back to Dalyan I made my way over to Ren Garden where I had arranged to meet my friend. Her and her husband were moving back to the UK and I wanted to wish them well and have a catch up before we both set off. We sat in the back room for a bit of privacy and decided to have a wine (or 2) to mark the occasion.
As is the Dalyan way, we did get interrupted when some of the Dalyan Dwellers, who’d been on the yellow boat, came back from their Monday Köyceğiz market trip. Two of them came in first, a bit tiddly, asking if I had seen my parents. I replied that I hadn’t and they were the ones who had gone on a boat trip with them. Apparently, they were all meeting back at Ren Garden after getting off the boat. My parents arrived a few minutes later, also merry, and asked if I’d seen their friends who were now sat in the front bar. This went on a while as more people turned up all looking for each other within a small vicinity. My friend’s husband had joined us and all privacy had gone out of the window so we said our goodbyes and I went to join my parents and the group of boat trippers. I had another couple of wines with them and we chatted to a nice bloke, Ricky, who was staying at Grandma’s Garden, the hotel at Ren Garden.
I paid a total of 1,030 lira (£16.61) for 6 wines, 2 soda waters, and 1 water, a very reasonable amount!
My next stop was to join my parents for dinner where we had pizza at Heybe and it was very tasty.

Gratitude List
1. Having my hair done
2. A farewell drink with a friend
3. An impromptu catch up with my parents.

Tuesday 30th June was the end of the month and I was astonished at how quickly the first half of this year had gone.
It had been both a tough year so far, in many ways, but it had also been pretty good in lots of other ways. In June alone I’d split my time across quite a few different countries.
Out of the 30 days this month, this is where I actually spent my time:

Dalyan 7 days
Sheffield 7 days
Cruising (Budapest, Bratislava, Tulln and Vienna) 5 days
Spain 4 days
Sevenoaks 3 days
Mallorca 2 days
Vienna 1.5 days
Istanbul (airport) 0.5 days

So I was on holiday for at least half of the month, despite still working most of the time. It was also time to face the music with the monthly finances too, which had certainly taken a hit! I had given myself a budget of £25 per day, so a total of £750 for June. My total spend ended up being £802 so I was £52 over! Captain Caveman had needed to help me out to ensure I got my required amount in to the Turkish bank too and I was about to start July in a deficit of £115 after paying off my credit card. I do that every month and it only has a very low limit.
For July I hadn’t set a budget as I knew I was likely to spend more than I had this month and would be relying on Captain Caveman a lot too. All I did today was work as it was the last day of the month and I wanted to maximise any earnings.
There was so much fun coming up from July onwards, all of which I was going to continue to do with a frugal mindset and while doing more holiday research for my potential customers.

Gratitude List
1. Being very lucky to be able to work from almost anywhere in the world
2. Having a busy day and tying up lots of loose ends
3. Looking forward to a great summer.

Dalyan – 27th & 28th June

I was busy catching up with chores and writing content on Saturday 27th June. I was meant to go to the market to get fruit but I didn’t end up going as I got busy with dealing with some customer related stuff. The last weekend of every month tends to be the busiest for people getting ready to go away, as well as booking, due to it being pay day for a lot of people.
I did manage to force myself out of the house around lunch time, just for a walk so that I actually got some exercise.
Other than that I slowly tackled my never ending to do list and tried to spend as little money as possible before the end of the month, and before my trip back to the UK, where I had loads planned with Captain Caveman.

Gratitude List
1. Being busy
2. Managing to spend nothing and have no alcohol in the hope of losing weight
3. Having a short walk around town.

I’d been invited to visit friends, Janet & Ian, on Sunday 28th June and decided I would walk over, despite the heat. I put on plenty of factor 50 suncream, a dress with short sleeves and my sun hat from Vietnam. The walk was only 20 minutes but it was definitely hot in Dalyan now. Having survived the heat of Vienna, Dalyan felt a little more breezy.
At Janet & Ian’s we had a lovely time, chatting and lounging round the pool and even a lovely swim. Of course I was ‘persuaded’ in to having a drink at the poolside bar so that Janet wasn’t drinking blood orange gin alone – I’m good like that!
Janet and Ian have their property on the market and if I won the lottery, I’d buy it! It’s a gorgeous villa on the edge of town with a deep pool and a massive garden. They are in their 70s now so are looking to downsize.
I could’ve stopped longer but it was Sunday and I had 2 more engagements planned. Ian gave me a lift in to town and I went to see Richard and Michelle off at Waterfall bar.
We said bye and I was invited to see them in the UK during my summer visit, which was nice of them. We were also going to be arranging a trip to Vietnam in 2027 which would be amazing.
Back home, I snaffled down the rest of the leftover curry and then went round to my parents for a drink. I’d last seen them 4 weeks ago when we went to Duble for a meal. While I’d been in the UK and Europe having a lovely time, they had also been having a great time in Dalyan. I had less than 5 days left before I went back to the UK and they had another week after I left. They were going to be joined by my niece and her boyfriend so were looking forward to some time with them.
We had some wine and nibbles and arranged to meet for breakfast on my last day, so I could say bye.

Gratitude List
1. Spending time with lovely friends, Janet & Ian
2. Having a last drink with more lovely friends, Richard & Michelle
3. A great evening to round off my Sunday with my parents.

Dalyan – 26th June

I met a friend for a walk and talk at 7.30am on Friday 26th June. We talked about how my trip to England and Europe had gone. She’d also been busy so it was a good catch up and we had to wait at Kaunos tea gardens for it to open. We just had 1 large tea and 2 waters for 65 lira (£1.05) then both went back home to get on with our days.
Upon my return, I snipped as much of the unruly bushes that I could then messaged the gardening company to ask them to do the rest – it had obviously not been touched for 3 weeks at our side of the complex, but Block A looked very tidy.
I finished work at 4pm, despite having a lot to do still, as I needed to get prepared for my guests. I’d invited Richard and Michelle over for a curry at mine but I needed to get some ingredients in as I’d not done a proper shop yet. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Star Gurme
1 tin baked beans & 1 jar curry sauce
Total spent 300 lira (£4.84)

Yaman Büfe 2
1 bottle of Angora red wine 525
3 Dido chocolate bars 105
Total spent 630 lira (£10.16)

BIM supermarket
Naan Bread 82.95
770g Chicken 199.43
Total spent 282.38 lira (£4.55)

I didn’t need the beans or curry sauce but had walked all the way to buy curry paste and they didn’t have the one I wanted. I couldn’t remember if I had an alternative at home so I bought the jar in case I needed it to make a quick version of my chicken curry. The naan bread is just a pide type of bread but does the trick.

I threw everything in to the slow cooker and had a paste at home I could use, plus it didn’t need to be ready until 9pm so I had time; 4 hours on high.
I met my friends in Retro bar for a pre dinner drink (or 2) and they brought me some gifts which was really lovely and much appreciated. I paid the bar bill this time at 950 lira (£15.32) and then we went over to mine for curry. We had another drink while I popped the rice in the rice cooker and we had a good old chat, mainly about holidays and future plans. The curry went down well and the Dido chocolate bars worked as a dessert. It wasn’t a late one as I had work in the morning and my guests were off on a boat trip.

Gratitude List
1. Walk by the river with a friend
2. Retro bar for drinks with friends
3. Hosting a curry night at mine.

Dalyan – 24th & 25th June

I needed a rest on Wednesday 24th June and I was also not used to having to prepare and cook my own food! As it was weigh day and I was back at Fat Club this afternoon, I took my measurements to find strange results; I had put a whopping 3cm on my bust, lost 2cm off my waist and put 1cm on my hips!! It was going to be interesting to see how much weight I’d put on, using Carol’s scales, after my 3 weeks away. The home scales reckoned I’d put on 1.9kg (3.8lb), which was bad enough!
At 9am there was a planned power cut which meant I only had enough battery to work until 1pm, but the outage was for most of the day.
At 3pm, I was back to face the music. The weight gain was much more than I imagined, or felt, at 3.3kg (7.3lb) – more than half a stone in 1 month! I felt bad but I’d really enjoyed my various trips, maybe I would have to knuckle down and lose a bit, though! It was good to see the other ladies again after being away and there was so much to catch up on, as people had been away or were about to go back to the UK soon.
I called at the shop on the way back to buy light wholemeal bread and marshmallows for 168.45 lira (£2.72) and then got ready to go out.
Friends, Richard & Michelle, were in Dalyan so they had invited me to join them for drinks at the Waterfall bar and then for a meal. After a beer in the Waterfall, we decided to try out Doris Garden, which had a new owner/staff and had been getting good reviews recently. We chatted over wine, mainly about our shared interests in holidays. The food was very good, the service attentive but not too intrusive and we really enjoyed our meal, sat outdoors in the lovely garden area. We even bumped in to a couple of Dutch friends who were on a repeat visit. The beef çökertme was very tasty and went well with the Angora red wine.
Michelle is not a big drinker and didn’t join us with the red wine, instead she prefers the odd cocktail so we went over to Efe bar for a nightcap. We ended up having another bottle of red wine as it was on special offer for Wine Wednesday at only 750 lira (£12) compared to 1,100 lira (£18) in the restaurant. Michelle had a cocktail and they did look very impressive too.
We arranged to meet up again at the weekend and, as we said farewell, I had a feeling I might have a hangover tomorrow, after quite a lot of red wine.

Gratitude List
1. Surviving an all day power cut
2. Being back at Fat Club
3. A great meal and night out with friends.

On Thursday 25th June I had a bit of a woolly head but had to get on with a load of shit! My To Do List was huge. I also had multiple holiday enquiries to look at, which I was appreciative of. I barely had time to eat and had a Resort Experts team meeting at 1pm, where I’d been asked to do an update on my recent luxury river cruise.
I kept it short and to the point as I was aware that there were others within our team who already knew about cruises, then I sent out the information on email for anyone who might be interested in it.
I didn’t leave the house all day and I had to make myself stop working at 7pm to eat a chickpea curry. I briefly spoke to Captain Caveman in Sheffield to let him know I was back in Dalyan – he was looking forward to seeing me in London in 7 day’s time. The only photo I took today was of my dinner. It was an early night for me as I had so much to do tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Getting more holiday enquiries as a result of being away
2. Being asked to do a presentation on my cruise in the team meeting
3. Chickpea curry.

Vienna to Dalyan – 22nd & 23rd June

My plan to get back to Dalyan on Monday 22nd June was probably more complicated and longer than it needed to be, however it meant I had almost 12 more hours in Vienna. I’d initially thought of taking a train to Bratislava for 6am, then flying at 9am directly to Dalaman. This was the cheaper option with a Ryanair size under seat bag, which I didn’t have, and an extremely early start. Instead, I paid £88 (£24 more than the Ryanair direct flight) to fly 6 hours later in the day, with an 8kg allowance of hand luggage, via Istanbul.

This meant that I could have a leisurely breakfast at Sissy’s, who had gone to work but had left me some fresh bread from the bakery and I had it with some jam from the fridge. The schnitzel and accompanying leftovers were made into a snack for my journey as I wouldn’t get home until very late.

I worked in the morning at my laptop and then got the Metro, before my 24 hour ticket ran out, to meet Sissy. We decided to go for a quick lunch at Vapiano, a pizza and pasta restaurant where you choose what you want and they make it fresh at the counter in front of you. I also found the names of their drinks quite funny and had to order a Schartner Bombe. Sissy had a traditional herbal drink called a Almdudler, which had a familiar taste but I couldn’t place it until later – ginger and elderflower. Both drinks were great and my spaghetti was amazing.

It was sad to say bye to another wonderful host and friend, we’d had an incredible time of just under 30 hours together and I appreciated every minute and I hoped we would meet again soon for more adventures, perhaps in Turkey or Vietnam.

Sissy walked me to the train station to get the airport train, it was a bargain €5.40 (£4.63). We walked together to the platform and said bye several more times, by the time I was on the train I was emotional. The girl opposite me on the train got chatting and was an Austrian, who was on her way to Greece for a holiday but had grown up in Turkey.

At Vienna airport it was super efficient and clean, I ate my chicken schnitzel and snacks then boarded the plane to Sabiha Gökçen at 5.30pm, taking off at 6.05pm. The Ajet flight was busy but comfortable and I got an aisle seat near the back. I landed in Istanbul at 9.20pm and I had a drink and a snack for 495 lira (£7.68) in the airport while I waited for my next flight to Dalaman which was leaving at just after midnight.

Gratitude List

1. Getting a later flight back from Vienna
2. More time with Sissy
3. Austrian food and drink.

The second Ajet flight took off on Tuesday 23rd June at 00.05 from Sabiha Gökçen and landed in Dalaman at 01.25am. I had a wine on the plane for 150 lira (£2.38) and had fallen asleep by the time we landed. As I had no luggage to pick up and I was quite fast at getting out, I was in the taxi with Sonuç, who I had booked ahead, in no time.
Back home in Dalyan, I had to duck under overgrown bushes to get to the steps and then up to the apartment. There was no internet so I went straight to bed and slept very well. When I woke up, I needed to put the internet on and get some food so I went out. Here’s what I bought, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
1 plastic bag 1.00
Yoghurt 54.95
Pain au chocolat 54.95
Olives 61.50
Total spent 172.40 lira (£2.74)

Captainnet internet
1 month 750 lira (£11.90)

I also decided to visit one of my favourite cafes in Dalyan, Mornings in Mavi, where I ordered the Nectarino sandwich, water and a cookie for a total of 770 lira (£12.22). It’s not the cheapest cafe in town, but it’s definitely delicious and I really enjoy the food there. I even took half of my sandwich home to have later. I spent the rest of the day catching up on laundry, emails, blogs and unpacking Pauline, of course. I had just 7 days in Dalyan before I headed back to the UK for another holiday.

Gratitude List
1. An uneventful journey back to Dalyan
2. A delicious brunch from Mornings in Mavi
3. Being back home for a week.

Sevenoaks & London – 10th June

There was more excitement on Wednesday 10th June as I had arranged to meet up with more friends in London after work. Captain Caveman had gone off to see a job somewhere not too far from Sevenoaks, Claire and I were working from home and Claire had a busy schedule so couldn’t join me in London.
I worked all morning, but not before a quick photoshoot with Reggie, the dog. I had a private session with Holly to get shit done, as no one else in our Neon Nook group had turned up – so I was lucky.
Captain Caveman got back early from his work so we both got the train together.

We met Clare and Liz at the Rose & Crown pub not far from Black Friars and it was pretty muggy by the time we arrived. Staff were friendly, there was free tap water on the bar, which I necked a few of, and I had a large glass of red wine for a whopping £11!!! The beer garden was off limits as it had been soaked by a downpour earlier in the day.
I had a Giffgaff SIM card which struggled to work in London but all was fine as everyone turned up. We had a couple of drinks, a good laugh and some suggestions to meet up again on my next visit. One of the staff even took photos for us and did a cheeky selfie!

Unfortunately, Liz had a prior arrangement and had to leave us but Clare, Captain Caveman and I decided to go on for food. Captain Caveman chose one of our favourite places to eat steak and I was a little hesitant that we should be splashing out as it’s definitely not in my budget. The train had already cost £8.40 each way so when we arrived at Flat Iron I chose the cheapest steak, whereas Clare and Captain Caveman went for a Wagyu Sirloin and Wagyu skirt. We all shared wine and ordered some sides. Flat Iron is just so good, no matter which cut or quality of steak you choose. Here’s what the 3 of us had with prices in pounds;

Flat Iron
1 bottle of Red wine 25.00
1 normal steak 15.10
1 Wagyu Sirloin steak 27.10
1 Wagyu skirt steak 24.10
1 chips 4.50
1 spinach 4.50
1 bone marrow mash 5.00
1 Mac and cheese 5.00
2 peppercorn sauce 3.00
1 wild mushroom sauce 1.50
Service charge 14.38
Total spent £129.68

My share came to just under £30 which was actually very reasonable for what I had and I loved it. This did include the free ice-cream which is so good too. Captain Caveman and I said our farewells to Clare and got the train back to Claire’s in Otford, where everyone was already in bed by the time we got in.

Gratitude List
1. Reggie, the dog
2. Seeing more of my favourite southern friends
3. Steak at Flat Iron was a real treat.

Dalyan to Sheffield – 2nd June

It was time to hold on to your hats on Tuesday 2nd June as my 3 week holiday adventure was about to start. I had managed to pack Pauline, my petite pink under seat suitcase, with everything I needed to get me as far as sunny Sheffield. I was dressed for the heatwave, which everyone in the UK was talking about, and I wasn’t even taking a coat!
At 9.50am I was in the bank, making sure all was in order and that I had my holiday insurance. I didn’t have it earlier due to the bank holiday and today Murat, at the bank, sent me off to Delfin insurers to get it instead. I was going to be away for 3 weeks in the UK and Europe, including 5 days cruising down the Danube and I paid just 900 lira (£15) for my travel insurance.
Next, I bought 2 packs of pills for 884.48 lira (£14.74) and then popped to Migros for essentials. I spent 124.85 lira (£2.08) on cereal bars, 1 tub of quark and some haribo jellies. I bought a simit, cheese spread and a chocolate croissant at Parlak bakery for 190 lira (£3.17) and then went to say bye to my parents. On the way I decided to drop off Jamie and Drew’s key and when I arrived, I found Drew in his underpants looking tired. Norman was just about to have breakfast while Dennis the doorstop had soggy paws where Norman had done a little wee.

I said farewell to Ma & Pa then rushed home to shower ready for a midday pick up with Sonuç, who I’ve been using for airport transfers for a number of years. At the airport I said bye to Sonuç and headed through security as I was already checked in online.
I was early and, as I’m frugal, I don’t like to waste money in Dalaman airport. A good top tip for anyone flying from Dalaman airport who likes a drink; if you’re the type of person who begrudges wasting money on an airport Gin & Tonic in one of the most expensive airports, but have a couple of hours to kill, try this. Instead of paying more in the bar or a lounge, treat yourself to a cocktail tinny or mini bottle of wine (or 3) which are on sale just to the right as you leave the duty free area. Then find yourself a quiet spot, or put your noise cancelling headphones on and relax until boarding!

My flight left 45 minutes late but I did have access to a water dispenser near Gate 42 in the international departures.
The flight went fine, apart from it being delayed so I had to hurry to get my 18.17 train at Manchester airport. I was meant to arrive in to Sheffield at 19.34 with plans to meet Captain Caveman in the Wellington pub, near Kelham Island. I didn’t yet know where he had moved to so this made sense, however, I ended up on the slow train and arrived almost 1 hour late. I caught the tram from Sheffield station to Shalesmoor which cost £2.50. What I hadn’t known was that Captain Caveman had arranged for our friend, Luan, to also be there to meet me, which was a lovely surprise. Luan got the round in while Captain Caveman was preoccupied with a pub quiz that was halfway through. His friend was doing it and he was helping her while trying to pretend he wasn’t more interested in the quiz than my arrival. With it being a school night, Luan left first while I listened to the results of the quiz I hadn’t entered.
Captain Caveman showed me round his new home; a 2 bedroomed flat in Kelham Island near to a few bars and cafes. It was a great location and I knew it was going to be a fun week in Sheffield.

Gratitude List
1. Having time to say bye to a few people
2. Going to the UK and Europe for 3 weeks with Pauline, my petite pink suitcase.
3. Seeing Captain Caveman and Luan in the Wellington pub.

Dalyan – 1st June

It was all go on Monday 1st June, my last full day in Dalyan for 3 weeks. I was up early with Norman but made him wait until 7am for breakfast, by which time he was chomping at the bit! I gave him his usual, but with egg, and did a video to send to Little Daddy, aka Jamie. Next, I completed as much banking as I could for today and then went to meet a friend for a walk from 8am. As I walked to Kaunos tea gardens the sun was shining and it was definitely summer now.

By 11am I was back with Norman, cleaning and getting ready for Drew’s return, later tonight.
At noon I went to meet Janet & Ian in Ren Garden, for a cup of tea and to arrange to catch up again when I got back from my holiday.

I worked for the rest of the day, while Norman mainly snoozed away. By 6.30pm, I was going back to Ren Garden to meet my parents. We had arranged to go for a last meal before I left and had chosen Duble, another firm favourite of ours. Drew had got delayed but I had kept hold of the key in case I needed to pop back to check on Norman.
I paid for the drinks at Ren Garden which only came to 620 lira (£10.33) for all 3 of us. At Duble the food was excellent and I was so pleased that I had decided to have the soup to start, then 2 more hot starters as a main; prawns and liver. We all had the chicken soup, one of the best in town, with extra bread. Ma ordered lamb chops which looked fab and Pa had a chicken casserole which came with rice and chips – one of the best meals out, for definite. We also had water and wine to go with our food and, when the bill came, Mom insisted on paying.
Once we had eaten, all 3 of us went to Jamie & Drew’s to check on Norman as Drew’s flight was delayed quite a bit and I had been gone for over 3 hours. Little Norman was pleased to see us all but seemed confused that there was no sign of Step Daddy Drew or any wine as he’d expected. We left and went back to my parents for a nightcap and arranged to say goodbye tomorrow morning.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Seeing friends and my parents
3. An excellent meal at Duble.

Dalyan – 31st May

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

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

Dalyan – 29th & 30th May

It was another quiet day of dog sitting with Norman on Friday 29th May. He’d been doing so well and, as I was getting up at 6am each day, he’d not once had a pee or poo in the house. I priced up a guided cycle tour in Vietnam for a customer before learning that Wendy Wu had offers on for business class upgrades on Japan holidays with Turkish Airlines for £199.
In the afternoon Norman wanted to help me work so I put him on the round chair where I could keep an eye on him. At 5.30pm I took Norman for a walk, he was so slow but we managed it. For dinner I had a mystery freezer meal which I think was a chicken casserole and I added a chopped courgette, as you do!
I checked the weather forecast for Sheffield for the next week and it looked a bit cold and wet! Typical, as I planned to just take an under seat bag for my 3 week holiday.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Excellent holiday offers
3. A mystery meal and a night in.

I didn’t bother with the Dalyan weekly market on Saturday 30th May because I was leaving for England in 2 days. Instead I worked more on my content plan for June and wrote at least one social media post per day for the whole month. I’d noticed loads of other travel agents using AI to write their posts and I didn’t want to do that, I wanted my posts to be authentic and actually from me. My existing customers trusted me and liked the real me so I wanted that to come across to the rest of my followers who were still to book a holiday with me or buy one of my books. I worked hard and then had a video call with a friend in the UK.
In the evening I agreed to meet Ma & Pa for a drink at Retro bar. It was warming up a bit so, after walking and feeding Norman, I had to find some summer clothes to wear. I wore one of my new tops with jeans and washed my hair, only to realise my hairbrush was still at Jamie’s. I had to use a comb which wasn’t ideal.
At Retro bar, Ma & Pa had beers and I had wine and we got chatting about last weekend’s incident. Ma & Pa didn’t remember what had caused the to-do or know why I had left Lukka abruptly but they made it clear they didn’t want to get involved. I explained how I felt and I said I’d not put up with anyone treating me badly. They said it was up to me and the other person and it wasn’t anything to do with them, I disagreed but understood their position so that was the end of that!
It was a shame but it wasn’t the first time and I felt that by pretending all was fine or ignoring bad behaviour, it would just set me up for a repeat performance in the future. I also think going through the menopause has meant I’m less likely to walk on eggshells or modify my actions to please someone, no matter who they are or what they’ve said. It’s interesting, as I know if it had been a male spouse who had acted that way towards me, the outcome and reactions would certainly have been very different. In my humble opinion, it shouldn’t be. We left around midnight and paid cash for the bill, forgetting exactly how much the total was but a wine was 140 lira (£2.33).

Gratitude List – I completely forgot to write one.

joloyolo

The ramblings and observations of a fortysomething lady of leisure

Tag: Turkey