Dalyan – 24th November

On Monday 24th November, I had fed and watered the cat, well before 7.15am and was on my walk back home when I met 2 of the dogs I usually see by the river. They walked all the way through town, along the river and almost home, with me.
Captain Caveman and one of my friends had planned a hard walk up a mountain which I was neither capable of nor invited on so he had made a packed lunch and she was picking him up at 10am.
I spent the morning doing some ad-hoc work tasks and looking at flights for 2026. I had leftover chicken for lunch and then just pottered about on my non-day off.
By 3.30pm, Captain Caveman was back and had thoroughly enjoyed his Monday walk. He got changed in to an outfit which could only say that he was unlikely to be intending on leaving the house. I left him at home while I went to pick up my coat which I’d finally got round to having the zip fixed on, at Dalyan Tailors. They are based in the square next to Migros and it cost 100 lira (£1.82) which I was happy with. I went to feed the cat and we had some cuddles, she even got on her box for more attention.
Captain Caveman had put ‘normal’ clothes on for the evening and we decided to go to Ozzy’s for a drink. We had tickets for a comedy night at 8pm so we had to look sharp. We should’ve got food at Ozzy’s but Captain Caveman was keen to eat Turkish so we paid our bill and sped off to get food. Here’s what we paid in lira;

Ozzy’s Bar
2 red wines
2 beers
690 lira (£12.55)

We thought Çağrı would be a good bet and it was on our way to the comedy night venue. Unfortunately, it was closed as they had decided to close on Mondays during the winter. We both joked that we needed to just ‘get anything but not China Town’ as neither of us fancied an expensive Chinese and we only had 40 minutes before the start of the show.
Lots of places close on Mondays now, or places that Captain Caveman had thought of were now closed for a break/winter. We ended up having to go to China Town which is a bit outside of my usual budget. It’s not my favourite place but we got served straight away, the food was piping hot and we were paying and leaving at 3 minutes past the start of the 8pm show. Here’s what we had with the prices in lira;

China Town
1 red wine 140
1 Efes Malt 150
1 plain rice 150
1 Won Ton soup 190
1 Chicken & Sweetcorn soup 190
1 Singapore noodles 430
1 Chicken in black bean sauce 450
Total Spent 1,700 lira (£30.91)

The soups were good, my chicken dish not particularly authentic and the noodles very good. We were also very close to our next venue, who had messaged to check if I was on my way – very attentive.
We got seated in Books & Cookies where we had 2 tickets for the comedy show with Ege Öztokat for 800 lira (£14.55). We ordered drinks of 1 beer + 1 wine totalling 340 lira (£6.18) and got sat in our seats. There were a few familiar faces in the crowd too and it turned out to be a very funny and interesting evening. I really enjoyed being able to watch comedy in Dalyan as, along with good live music, it’s something I miss going to, on a regular basis.

Gratitude List
1. Working on a day off while checking plans for my own trips in 2026
2. Saving money by not going to Köyceğiz as I’d hoped
3. Comedy night at Books & Cookies.

Dalyan – 23rd November

It was quite windy and cold out on Sunday 23rd November as I left Captain Caveman in bed, snoring away. I fed the cat as usual and was back home before 8am, the weather didn’t look great for Captain Caveman’s Sunday Walk but he was up for it. I’d already been made aware that I wouldn’t be able to do the walk due to the difficulty level so I had taken it upon myself to meet up with others who couldn’t do it either. Captain Caveman had arranged to meet at Kaunos tea gardens at 9am and there was quite a turn out. A few of us less athletically inclined today, had planned to join the walk as far as the Portakal ferry then walk back to get a bit of light refreshment, however, someone was running late. I didn’t want to hold the main Sunday walkers up so off they all went and I said to Captain Caveman I would meet him at the Kefal tea gardens after they had finished. Our little group got a hot drink inside the new indoor bit, it was a little chilly without any sun and Nur had to rescue a bird from a cat. Sezgin and his family had to get back home so they said their farewells and off we all went.
Vanessa, Janet, Julie and I then ambled from one tea garden to the other, one where we sat indoors and ordered breakfast and drinks. The sun came out and it warmed up nicely. I had a Turkish breakfast plate and a Turkish tea for only 290 lira (£5.27) and it was really tasty. I had plenty left when Captain Caveman and the walkers arrived and ordered a beer. At the tea gardens they had now switched from Efes to Tuborg beer and it cost 150 lira (£2.73), a bargain compared to the prices he was used to in the UK.
Captain Caveman and I called at the shops on the way home and this is what we bought, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Onions 4.54
Potatoes 13.87
Carrots 65.68
6 eggs 72.95
Cashew nuts 95.00
A 1.3kg Chicken 97.75
Cherry juice 105.00
Walnuts 109.00
Espresso coffee 499.95
Total spent 1,063.74 lira (£19.34)

Back home, after sitting on the balcony to dry off my wet hair, I prepared some food ready for later as we were going to be eating a roast chicken dinner. I decided to call to feed the cat early as the weather looked a bit iffy and I wanted to check all the windows were closed. She was very pleased to see me and got some tickles, I then walked back past the bank and got out some Turkish cash for Captain Caveman for tomorrow. I’d hoped we might be off out on the yellow boat to Köyceğiz as I’d took the day off, but he was already booked up. Before dinner we had a quick drink in Tez bar to say hello to Tez then went home for White Russians and a lovely dinner.

Gratitude List
1. A lovely non Sunday Walk with like-minded friends
2. Great food
3. Spending most of the day with Captain Caveman.

Dalyan – 22nd November

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

Şarküteri
1 Chicken Tikka sauce 190 lira (£3.45)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dalyan – 21st November

Friday 21st November was the last day before Captain Caveman’s arrival in Dalyan. I was obviously looking forward to seeing him, however, the stress of trying to get everything done so that I could take some time off from Resort Experts and writing had crept up on me. I didn’t get to feeding the cat until almost 7.30am and she was questioning where her pâté was when I got there. I gave her some fuss before feeding her – she’s always very affectionate but calm. On the way back I checked in with the 2 white dogs, one of whom still had a bit of a sniffle but loved the warm blanket someone had put out for it. I still did a little walk but didn’t go as far today as time was cracking on.
I was meant to have a call with a friend, take my winter coat for a zip repair and call in to see Leanne at King Emlak but my morning didn’t go to plan and none of those happened.

I worked hard at my laptop until lunch then made a Slimming World friendly pizza from a wholemeal wrap. I had a quick video call with Captain Caveman who was excited to be getting out to Dalyan tomorrow. I’d been invited to Jamie and Drew’s for dinner and then we decided we would have a Friday night out. On my way to feed the cat again, I picked up a bottle of red Angora wine for 415 lira (£7.55) in Yaman Büfe 2. I also stopped to check on the 2 white dogs who were now firm friends.
At Jamie & Drew’s villa, Norman was pleased to see me and he was pacing about the kitchen hoping to get a morsel of dinner. We ate a lovely shepherd’s pie with a delicious red cabbage dish and we sipped wine and chatted.
After dinner, we walked to Ren Garden as they had their Friday night mulled wine on. Jamie and I are rather partial to a mulled wine and I ended up having 5 of them and we stayed until midnight. My bill came to 750 lira (£13.64) and I was rather merry. As we were passing and it was open, we ended up having a night cap in Jiks. We were the only 3 in there but it was cosy so we ordered a bottle of red wine between us. It was only Isabey but they charged 1,200 lira (£21.82) for it so I spent another 400 lira (£7.27) on booze and was convinced it would have been cheaper by the glass. One thing is clear on how to save money in Dalyan, though, is to not drink alcohol, but with so many bars and drinking pals it can be hard to do. Still, it was good to know I could have a great Friday night and get hammered for less than the equivalent of £30!
We all staggered home, a bit merry and I hoped I wouldn’t be hungover for Captain Caveman’s arrival tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Cute animals
2. Dinner with Jamie & Drew
3. Mulled wine night at Ren Garden.

Dalyan – 20th November

I had another exciting day on Thursday 20th November, starting with feeding my friend’s cat just after sunrise and visits to my new favourite outdoor dogs. It had certainly got chillier in the evenings and early mornings now.
At 9am I walked over to Vanessa and Matt’s so that I could go with them to Ortaca. I’d arranged for the cleaner to come and do the whole apartment seeing as Captain Caveman was due to arrive in 2 days and I barely had time to get things done. I’d admitted defeat on the planner, as it was too late to get it delivered now for him to bring it out to me. Vanessa had an appointment in Ortaca so she had kindly agreed to give me a lift as I was off to the hairdresser’s in the afternoon and also preferred to be out of the house while the cleaner did her thing. We got to Ortaca and dropped Vanessa off then Matt and I went to Reyhan cafe. I had a hot chocolate and Matt had a coffee, the prices were reasonable, the service good and the cafe was big enough for me to be able to work from there later on. When Vanessa returned we all decided to have some lunch and I was impressed with their pizza, recommended by Matt. The food was fast food style but hot and on a plate, and they did really good offers.

After lunch, Matt and Vanessa left me in Reyhan for a bit longer and for an online meeting, which I took my noise cancelling headphones for. I also received my book cover latest version, from Nicole and was really pleased with how it looked. This made my day so I celebrated with tea and a cake before heading off to let Emrah, my hairdresser, work his magic. When I went to pay my bill at Reyhan, Matt had already paid for my lunch so I only had 190 lira (£3.45) to pay for tea and cake – very cheap, but not as good as Mono for the cake!

It was my first time of going to his new premises, since Emrah had moved to Ortaca from Dalyan, and it was very close to the bus station so fairly easy to find. I walked up the stairs as I wasn’t sure if the lift was working, although it was, and I received a warm welcome.
I had my hair done and it looked really good, the price had gone up a bit to 2,300 lira (£41.82) for a full colour, cut, blow-dry and Emrah’s signature curls. Some people in Dalyan had commented that they thought Emrah was expensive now but I loved how he did my hair and didn’t want to change. Even though I now had to come to Ortaca for it, I was happy enough to make time to do that every couple of months or so. I still rounded up my payment to give a tip and booked in for the Friday before Christmas as my next appointment.

I decided to get the bus back to Dalyan which cost just 46 lira (84p). When I got home, the cleaner has done a lovely job and saved me a whole day of having to do it myself. That evening I went to feed the cat, I spoke to Captain Caveman on video call and he’d decided we might be going to Madrid in July. There was another gig/festival he fancied and wanted to know if I would come if he could get the tickets! Of course, I said yes.

Gratitude List
1. A lovely outing to Ortaca with Matt & Vanessa
2. Getting my hair done by Emrah
3. A potential trip to Madrid in 2026.

Dalyan – 19th November

Wednesday 19th November turned out to be quite eventful. I’d fed the cat before sunrise and decided on another walk through Dalyan’s town and by the river, on my way home. It was a little chilly but beautiful and quiet.

I’d turned in to a bit of a magnet for stray animals as various ones came to say hello. I now had a handful of dogs who came over to get some fuss on a regular basis.

Back home I got weighed to find I had put on 0.3kg (0.7kg) which wasn’t ideal. My measurements weren’t good either; my bust remained the same but I’d put on 2cm on my waist and 1cm on my hips. I would find out later what Carol’s scales read. The Slimming World plan kept falling by the wayside but I was determined to get back on track before the end of the year.
I had beans on toast for breakfast and then went to do some more edits on my new travel planner. Canva had started playing up with the page numbering I had saved and was showing page numbers on pages I had asked it to hide, as well as moving the odd one to the right instead of the middle – very frustrating and unnecessary time was wasted.
At 3pm it was time for Fat Club, only to find I had lost 0.3kg (0.7lb) on Carol’s scales, which was better than expected.
I went straight home after Fat Club as I needed to finish off some work before my friend popped round. Vanessa arrived as soon as I’d finished and we chatted and drank tea. We were going to meet at Jiks but decided it would be better to chat first then go out. I went to feed the cat and then we were on our way to the bank, when we saw my parents with their friends in Ren Garden. They’d been out a while and were planning on going home but they stayed out a bit longer with Vanessa and me. It was the first time I’d seen them since they went to Jiva Beach almost a week ago so they were telling us how good a time they had on their trip for Kate’s birthday. I had 2 white wine and sodas for 300 lira (£5.45) and, while Vanessa went back home, we stayed out. My parents hadn’t got anything ready for dinner so we were going to eat out at Çağrı. Unfortunately, it was closed as it was already 8.50pm so we decided to walk to one of our old favourites, River House. We shared a large bottle of water, a meze plate and balloon bread. My parents both ordered liver with either mash or chips and I had meatballs with cheese. My share of the meal came to 1,410 lira (£25.64) including a tip and was very nice but slightly extravagant for a Wednesday.

Gratitude List
1. Animals
2. Not being as fat as I’d thought
3. Seeing Vanessa and my parents.

Dalyan – 18th November

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dalyan – 17th November

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

Migros Supermarket

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

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

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

Dalyan – 15th & 16th November

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

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

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

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

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

Dalyan – 13th & 14th November

It was little Norman’s last morning with me on Thursday 13th November, his owners were due back from Jiva beach, Fethiye, by noon. Once I’d done the handover with Jamie and Drew, I was due over to Kate & Mark’s to cat sit 7 cats for the next 5 days, while they went to Jiva Beach, Fethiye.
Norman and I had our last walk and then he got impatient waiting for his breakfast. An hour later he was snoring away on the sofa, living his best life. I was going to miss him as he was just so adorable. Jamie and Drew arrived, Norman was very pleased to see them and I was sad to say bye to him.
By midday I was having a stress on with my planner as I now had most of the pages written but the format was proving troublesome. I left it and walked to the bakery to pick up bread and a simit so I could have lunch later.

Jamie picked me up and drove me over to Kate’s, so that I didn’t have to get a taxi. A spare key had been left for me and I had my written instructions at the ready. All the cats were outside and stayed there until after I had my Resort Experts team meeting. Luckily, the internet worked well and I had no issues.
Before 3pm I was out on the terrace playing with Mork and Mindy, the latest kitten additions to this cat family. They were cute, mainly blind, very affectionate and they just wanted to play all the time.
It was lovely and sunny so I had a break then went to check if I’d heard back from the publishing company. I’d sent in my Canva link to get a second opinion but it had now been 6 days without a response and I was getting impatient.

At 6.30pm I had all of the cats coming home, ready for their evening meal. I spent the evening with them all vying for my attention and was surprised that JC was the one who came for cuddles on my lap. I had a sandwich for dinner and was in bed by 10.30pm, feeling quite tired.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. A lift from Jamie and Drew
3. Seeing all 7 cats were alive and well on the first day.

My deadline to have ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ finished was today, Friday 14th November. Unfortunately, the lady I’d tagged at the publishing company I was working with, had not seen it until today and now it was the weekend. I did get feedback about my sizing and fonts which needed more work so I was behind for getting the proof copies sent to Captain Caveman in Pontefract. The cats had woken me up at 6.30am so I was quite tired as I worked more on correcting my planner. One of the cats had torn open my bag of dried pasta that I had left on top of the toaster and it was all over the kitchen counter and floor, so most of that went in the bin.
By mid morning, I had 2 mock up copies of my book cover, designed by Nicole, and I was very pleased with them. I had a choice of 2 and could get some tweaks so I did that quite decisively. At midday, I needed a break so I walked in to town. This was the furthest I’d walked without a crutch since breaking my foot, just over 2 months ago. I was still very slow and it frustrated me. I called at the shop but they didn’t have what I needed in, here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Water 4.50
Cheese börek 26.95
Haribo jellies 32.95
Total spent 64.40 lira (£1.17)

I went back to Kate’s and cracked on with work and editing my planner until 4.30pm, when I put all the cats outside and walked back home as I had an online training session booked in for 5pm. It was about Nile river cruising which I was interested in doing myself in 2027 so I was glad to be attending it. I did this at Fire Opal then went to meet Vanessa at Ozzy’s. We had planned to meet there because I had to feed another friend’s cat at 6.30pm and we were going to order a pizza to take away.

Interestingly, we got chatting to a man, whose accent I recognised as being from Hull, and decided to have a second wine and order food. I left Vanessa chatting to Mike while I went off to feed the cat.
Vanessa had a plain jacket potato but I had a chicken pizza which is my favourite. I paid 705 lira (£12.82) for 2 wines and the pizza which included the winter discount. We had to get back to Kate’s cats for feeding time so we decided to get a taxi. Fikri charged just 200 lira (£3.64) for the journey and the cats were waiting for us. It was chaos and there was also a 3-legged cat who was on a beanbag under some chairs that had blown over in the wind. I gave it some food, it let me stroke it and was very vocal, so I thought it was injured. When I let Kate know she had an extra cat, she said it was Norman, Sue & Graham’s cat. I left it outside but it wasn’t being friendly towards some of Kate’s cats.
Vanessa and I shared some wine that she’d brought and we had a good chat. The kittens, Mork and Mindy loved her and got lots of cuddles.

Gratitude List
1. Getting to see my mock up book covers for The Handy Travel Planner, which I loved.
2. Dinner at Ozzy’s
3. Still having 7 cats alive, plus an extra one!

Dalyan – 12th November

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

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

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

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

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

Dalyan – 10th & 11th November

Kate had invited me to join the pub crawl bunch on a trip to Göcek on Monday 10th November. As I had work to do, a planner to finish and little Norman to take care of, I had to decline. Göcek is a lovely town with a harbour, it can be a little more on the expensive side so, even if I had a day off, it isn’t really a place to visit if you’re on a tight budget.
I’d walked Norman and had a bit of an incident when he found some discarded fish and started eating it. I had to get my fingers in his mouth. He was crafty and hid it in his cheeks then, when I removed my hands, he snaffled it down. Norman proceeded to trot down the street as proud as punch that he’d got away with some fish that he’d found in the street!
When we got home Norman had to give himself a wash to get rid of the manky fish he’d had.
I did quite a lot of work for a Monday and didn’t have any time free to work on my planner, as I’d hoped. After another walk with Norman I made myself a Slimming World style pizza, forgetting I ate one yesterday.

Gratitude List
1. Saving money by not going on a jolly to Göcek
2. Norman, despite the fish eating incident
3. Slimming World style pizza.

I was up and out with Norman before 6.30am on Tuesday 11th November as I didn’t want him to disturb my neighbour again. Yesterday he had been barking at 7am when a cat got in the stairwell and was sick on the stairs. He managed to pick up a bit of oyster shel
Norman slept for most of the rest of the day but then we had an invite out in the evening. My parents had invited me over for a meal at their’s and this time Ma was cooking! I was really looking forward to it as Mom does a lovely Spag Bol and it was nice to be invited out, despite it being Fat Club tomorrow. Norman loves going over to my parents too and he was up the stairs in a flash. Rain had been forecast but it didn’t come while I was out and about.
It was nice to get together as Ma & Pa were off to Jiva Beach for Kate’s 5-day birthday break from Thursday. We had wine and lots of food which was really good. I took Norman’s treats with us so that my parents could give him some – he absolutely loved it.

Gratitude List
1. Early walks
2. Norman
3. Dinner at my parents.

Dalyan – 8th & 9th November

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

Stall 1
Sourdough 200 lira (£3.64)

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

Stall 3
2 mince pies 120 lira (£2.18)

Jiks pub
2 Fantas 200 lira (£3.64)

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

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

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

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

Dalyan – 7th November

I was awake at 5am on Friday 7th November and, by 6am, I was walking Norman before the forecast rain came. He wouldn’t go down the steps again but on the way back he tried to get up them and struggled so I had to push him on his bum to help. He was still faster than me at getting up the stairs and I had to put the torch on my phone as it was still dark and the automatic light didn’t stay on long enough to make it. After his breakfast, Norman had a nap on the sofa but he woke up at 10am and I decided to take him for another walk. This time we got quite wet in the rain and saw a dead snake. Norman was surprised to see Lukka bar was closed for the winter as he had a look to see if he could see any of his friends.
I got back and dried off quickly before a call with a friend in the UK, which was lovely. I decided to get weighed after having a shower and found that I was just under 70kg, for the first time in a while.
As I sat at my desk (kitchen table) on my new office chair, I saw the updates on a Dalyan Pub Crawl group that I’m on. Matt & Vanessa had organised a pub crawl from 3pm and I had said if they were still out after work tonight I might join them. They were starting in Ozzy’s with the intention of checking out several bars, perhaps in persuit of the cheapest beers and best pool tables.
My last appointment was another Zoom training session about expeditions to the Galapagos islands which looked so good. Once I’d finished that, I had a chat with Norman, who had presumed I was off out without him and was on a bit of a downer. He’d now started referring to my parents as Granny Annie and Grandpa Stupid, as he thought it was funny and we did a video to send to Little Daddy and Stepdaddy Drew.
I had to once again carry Norman down all of the stairs and he was so slow walking, as if he didn’t want to go out. The Pub Crawlers had only got as far as Ozzy’s then Jiks in 4 hours so I stopped there to have a drink with them. Plus, Norman was reluctant to go any further so it was a good pitstop on our evening walk. We were just going to have one drink and then go back – I’m sure you can guess how that turned out!?

I perched on the end seat next to Kate and opposite Vanessa – little Norman had a sniff about for any dropped food! My Dad ordered me a red wine and it was evident I needed to catch up massively. Everyone was ready to move to the next pub (well, it was a pub crawl) during my first drink. I knew Norman had struggled to make it this far so I said my goodbyes and was about to call it a night when Kate told the others that she was going to stay with me at Jiks for one more drink and then she would see everyone at Corner bar.
I ordered another red wine and told Norman to get comfy as Kate and I discussed her 7 cats, including the 2 new blind kittens.
When I went to pay for my 2 wines, it turned out my parents had paid for my first one and I’d not even had chance to speak to them for long. I paid my 150 lira (£2.73) and we left. Kate was going to join the others in Corner Bar, which had become the new place for some of the Dalyan Dwellers to frequent. As we got to the end of the road, where I would turn right to return home with Norman and Kate could go straight on, Norman got a second wind and continued on with Kate – we were off to Corner bar!
When we arrived there, everyone was eating takeaway chicken wraps with chips from nearby Bliss so I had a few of Vanessa’s chips and they were good. Kate and I jumped on the band wagon and ordered a chicken wrap with chips to share. The food was really good and only cost me 180 lira (£3.27) for my share.
Vanessa and Matt left quite soon after I arrived, about 10pm. Kate left not long after that. I’d just got my second glass of wine and had started talking to Dad when everyone but Mark decided to leave. I had 2 red wines at a total of 280 lira (£5.09) but that was my limit for a Friday night as it meant I’d had 4 in total and I was on a budget still. Norman was sleeping on the couch and Mark went over to chat to a fella and his son, so I had a photo with the waiter and then left. Norman and I were home by 11pm – Norman had thoroughly enjoyed his pub crawl, even though he only managed 2 of the 3 bars!

Gratitude List
1. Training on expedition cruises
2. Norman – he loved joining the pub crawl
3. A rare night out with friends and parents for 610 lira (£11.09)

Dalyan – 6th November

I was a bit emotional and stressed on Thursday 6th November – mainly caused by menopause symptoms and tiredness. I’d not slept too well, Norman wouldn’t go down the stairs for his morning walk and I struggled to carry him. I was no longer relying on a crutch but I still struggled on the stairs, myself. At the bottom of the stairs Norman slipped a little getting down the final ones but he was fine. We were back from our walk before 7.30am and Norman was keen to eat his breakfast then get back to bed.
I got on with work including finding some flights for a friend who was taking a long haul business class trip to visit family next year.
My friend Debbie, from Fat Club, and her husband Alan, came round with a new office chair for me. Being a little less mobile had meant I’d not been able to collect it so they had very kindly wheeled it round and Alan had carried it up the stairs. It was amazing and super comfy – just what I needed when I had been sat on a wooden folding chair for the last year!
Since hurting my foot I’d had to resort to having my office in the kitchen so I now had a big red super comfy office chair at the kitchen table and I loved it! Even Norman approved and got out of bed to give it a good sniff and get some attention off Alan. They didn’t even stay for a cup of tea and I was so touched by their kindness.
Later on, I was having trouble with my planner and the layout of my internal pages, despite listening to the training a few times over. Luckily, our Resort Experts team meeting got cancelled which gave me more time. I had a chat with Dagne (Majorca Resort Expert) and Helen (Italy Resort Expert) who were so supportive and encouraging about my planner and we discussed ideas. They were colleagues who had become good friends despite us never meeting in person, only on Teams and Zoom.
At 3pm I decided to take Norman out because he’d not indicated he needed to pee and it had been a while! He stood at the top of the steps and refused to budge. Jamie tells me he just plays up for me, and walks down stairs with him fine!
I still carried him down and perched him at the entrance, where the 2 big steps still caused him to be hesitant and stressed. I had to carry him again just because time was ticking on now and I’d not eaten anything but toast with my tea for breakfast.
Norman got his dinner and another walk before dark and after I had spent far too long doing what can only be described as faffing about with bloody margins! It was an absolute ball ache which nearly tipped me over the edge!
I warmed up left over Thai chicken curry for dinner at gone 9pm, by which time Norman had decided it was bedtime and took himself off to his bed. I decided a glass of wine would be a good idea and drank it, still sat in my new office chair.

Gratitude List
1. An amazing office chair from lovely friends
2. Norman
3. Having Dagne and Helen to keep me sane and on track to get my planner published.