Dalyan – 30th December

Charlie was loving having a bit of a lay in on Friday 30th December and even slept after I had got up, got ready, had my cup of tea and done some housework. He didn’t want to venture outside, even though it was nice weather. I took him for a walk, then back home before I went to meet Josh at the bus station in town. We had decided to go to the turtle hospital and the beach, but without Charlie this time. The bus left Dalyan at noon and the return fare was 36 lira (£1.58) per person. We were given a card for the return ticket and reminded that it was necessary to book a return ticket these days so that the driver knew he was required to come to collect us at 4.30pm, as per the winter bus schedule.
Josh and I went to the turtle hospital first and saw lots of good work and knowledgeable staff trying their best to ensure rescue, safety and recovery of the turtles. We tried to get some photos but the area where the tanks are is kept in low light and for obvious reasons, flashes are not allowed. Iztuzu Beach was very quiet today as Josh and I wandered from the bus end towards the boat end and back. We even had a paddle and the sea was not that cold, although I wouldn’t have swam right out.

We had lunch at the beach café and then decided to go off exploring up the side of the cliffs. It was beautiful scenery and we could see a German Shepherd dog was playing with his family. When he saw us he came running up the mountain side and I think he was just checking we were ok as he went back down when called.
We got the bus back just as it was starting to get a bit cooler and I still got off at the bus station and walked back to Charlie’s. Josh went back to our home and I was starting to miss being in our apartment. It was a month since I’d moved in to look after Charlie and he was so pleased to see me when I got ‘home’. We played catch Slothy, his toy, for a bit before walkies and then cuddles on the sofa.
That night was Josh’s last night in Dalyan so I’d planned to make the most of it!

I arrived at China Town, a few minutes late where Josh, Mark & Kate already had a beer. I joined them and we perused the extensive Chinese menu for ages, uncertain on whether to have a set meal or order dishes separately. I went for a set meal and had chicken and sweetcorn soup for starters followed by sweet and sour chicken with fried rice. It was very good and I completely forgot to take photos beyond those of the starters. After a couple of Efes beers and our Chinese we went to join friends for Lukka music bingo night.

Most of the time it was evident that Josh was too young to have heard of a lot of the songs but it didn’t matter and we had a good old laugh. We didn’t win but we didn’t care and I think Appo, the waiter, had to ask us to leave at gone 1am! Tomorrow was New Year’s Eve and Josh would be heading back to the UK to celebrate it, so I had no particular plans.

Dalyan – 29th December

I’d set my alarm for 8am on Thursday 29th December but woke up before it. Charlie and I were at Jamie’s with Norman and Edna while Jamie was on a quick trip away. I let his dogs out for a wee but Charlie was still asleep on ‘my’ bed. I made a cup of tea and took it back to bed only to find Charlie had taken my spot and got right in the bed!
Captain Caveman was in Saigon already where the weather was nice but it was pretty cold and fresh in Dalyan. Captain Caveman had news that a Ganesh Indian restaurant was opening in Phong Nha so he was excited.
Josh came over after I’d took the dogs for a walk then we sat outside in the very hot sun at the patio table and chairs. We were waiting for the plumber to come and I had been informed by the maintenance company that it would be mid to late morning. Nanny Kay popped over to drop off some ‘spare’ wine and a slow cooker from Christmas Day. Her hands were full when she opened the gate so Norman and Edna got out in to the complex. Luckily Edna returned as soon as I shouted her however Norman, who’s a tad deaf, had legged it to check out what was going off in the far corner, but Josh was able to find him. The plumber came and blamed holiday makers in another villa putting toilet paper down the toilet, then had to get a machine to suck out the blockage. Even though the problem was from another villa, they used Jamie’s downstairs toilet to do the procedure and the smell made me heave. Luckily, they were finished fairly quickly and I’d cleaned the floor and had a cheese sandwich before the next dog walk.
In the afternoon Josh went back to our place and I stayed at Jamie’s with the pooches. Cath (wife of Keith) messaged to say she had tested positive for Covid after feeling like she had a cold yesterday. This meant she needed me to tell all of the attendees of Monday’s boat trip to Köyceğiz, which I did. Everyone was kind and wished her well and some went to get test kits from the chemist as they had ran out.
After another short dog walk, first with Charlie and then with Norman and Edna, I went over to meet my new drinking buddy. Josh and I decided we would go for a drink in Lukka bar where a glass of white wine was 85 lira (£3.75) so I had a couple, Josh had beer and we watched the sun set over the river. Next we decided to go to Jiks bar where they would have a fire on, as we were feeling the cold at Lukka. We ended up have 2 pizzas each, I took one home, and they were really tasty for around only 80 or 90 lira each (less than £4). The price of drinks had gone up now to 80 lira (£3.53) and was more expensive than in Lukka for an Efes beer. We both went home early that night but with plans for an early start tomorrow and a night out for Josh’s last night in Dalyan.

Dalyan – 28th December

On Wednesday 28th December Captain Caveman had arrived in Istanbul after midnight and was leaving for Saigon at 2am. Jamie had left early for an overnight trip away and I was ready to go over to his villa for dog sitting. The maintenance company were going to contact me to organise coming to look at his plumbing either today or tomorrow too. I walked Charlie, who must’ve known he was going to see Edna and Norman as he took his time on his walk.
My weekly measurements were favourable so I was hopeful for good results at Fat Club later. I’d put 1cm on my bust, lost 3cm off my waist and hips while my legs were the same as the week before. At Jamie’s the dogs were pleased to see me and they enjoyed a walk separately to Charlie, mainly because I thought I’d struggle to take 3 together. Jamie had some Christmas cake left for me and I had a small piece just to taste it, before Fat Club. It was rather hot and a bit of a sun trap on Jamie’s back garden so I was too hot in my long sleeved top. On my walk round to Nil Lounge I spotted a stray sheep, eating foliage in the garden of an unoccupied complex. Josh went to join the pool afternoon at Rehab bar but us ladies probably wouldn’t join them as it was Ghislaine’s birthday celebration straight after Fat Club.

There were Carol, Kate, me and Nil with Ghislaine at Fat Club to help celebrate her special day. She had brought bottles of Prosecco with her as a treat for us all and, before I’d even got weighed, Ghislaine and Carol were on it.
When I stepped on the scales I had lost another 0.5kg which meant I had lost a total of the equivalent of half a stone in old measurements. I was pleased with that and surprised to be slimmer of the week, as I got handed a chilled glass of fizz. We sat down to order food and I decided to go for a cheese burger, as did Ghislaine. Kate ordered a chicken shish and Carol opted for a vegetarian spaghetti dish. The food was very good at Nil Lounge and my lunch cost just 120 lira (£5.29).

The afternoon started off very civilised but you know you’re in a bit of a pickle when Mark and Josh turn up, to help us all get home ok. During our luncheon a nice Russian hotel guest had bought Ghislaine a bottle of fizz and had it sent over to our table. This was very kind and we got chatting to Atyom who bought us more champers and was very lovely. He ended up buying several bottles but when we asked him to join us for a drink he said he didn’t drink alcohol but he would have a coffee with us before he had to go to Dalaman to meet friends. By 7pm we had asked for the bill and were sorting out who owed what. Kate ordered Fikri’s taxi for Carol, who could not pronounce where she lived, and called her husband to ask for the address. Ghislaine decided to get in the same taxi, despite living at the opposite side of town to Carol, and she forgot to take LuLu the dog home. Mark and Kate went home in their invalidity scooter, Josh and I walked back to Jamie’s and Lulu was invited to stay by the fire at Nil Lounge.

I’d promised Josh a curry from Spice Garden which arrived so promptly that I had forgotten it was coming. We got the set meals which were so good that they weren’t on the plates long enough for me to remember to take a photo. I remember us eating every single morsel and then, when I went to check on Josh after sorting the dogs out, he was done! Sleeping on the sofa by 10.10pm, I popped a blanket on him and went to bed, knowing that tomorrow I would feel a little fragile!

Dalyan – 27th December

The day that my parents and Captain Caveman had to leave Dalyan was Tuesday 27th December. My parents flight back to Manchester was the first, while Captain Caveman’s to Istanbul wasn’t until much later in the day. We’d arranged to all go out for a Goodbye breakfast but it proved trickier than we thought. We’d said to meet at Lukka bar but my parents and Josh had got there first, to be told they weren’t doing breakfasts today. I suggested Ela’s Kitchen which was still closed, Heybe’s and Jiks were both open restaurants but had not opened for the day yet. Then we remembered that Kordon does a breakfast and off we went there but we couldn’t sit inside because we had Charlie, the dog. At Kordon my parents were concerned that they were not going to have enough time to eat breakfast and get back home before Fikri came to pick them up in the taxi. They were already going very early so they had a bit of room to manoeuvre but Dad didn’t want to ask the driver to come later. My mom made me laugh when we suggested it, by saying they may as well be sat in the airport bored, than here!
After breakfast Captain Caveman and Josh said bye to my parents in the street and headed back to our apartment. Captain Caveman still had to finalise some packing and have a spruce up of his belongings before he left later. Josh just needed to limber up for any shenanigans he was to encounter on the rest of his holiday.
I walked with Charlie and my parents to their’s and Altın, a street dog, followed us. My Mom had some leftover food to give me so I was going to pop over to pick that up and see them off. When we arrived, Fikri was already waiting and so my parents hurried to get their hand luggage, pass me the bag of food and say farewell. I wasn’t sure when I would see them again but I hoped I’d be able to get a cheap flight to England at some point. Charlie and I walked with Altın following us, a couple of street dogs came to check Charlie out and she saw them off. Back at home I let Charlie in while I put my parents stuff in the cupboards and he went straight upstairs to see what Captain Caveman was up to. We left after a few minutes and Josh joined me while Captain Caveman carried on packing. We went over to Jamie’s to pick up a key for my next bit of dog and house sitting. While we were there we had a beer and Jamie updated me on the knife drawer on account of Captain Caveman complaining people don’t have sharp knives. Our next stop was Waterfall bar, Captain Caveman came back and joined us and then we went back to Lukka bar for a drink and early dinner. The fellas had burgers and I had the sweet and sour chicken, which I love. After Lukka, we went for one in Tez bar, joined by Jamie, with less than an hour before Captain Caveman’s taxi was coming. For some strange reason, my other half could not take the hint that I might want to see him in private to say bye and was about to go to look over our Aussie friend’s properties instead of saying bye. The farewell was brief and he went outside to wait for Fikri early. He then messaged to say he was still outside so I went to wait with him. Things were ok between us again but now he was leaving for Vietnam with neither of us knowing when I would be able to join him.
I went back to Tez bar where Josh, Jamie and I had a really good laugh and I wasn’t feeling too sad.
When I got back to Charlie’s at 10.30pm, he was sad that Captain Caveman wasn’t with me. I had Christmas cake and cheese for supper then went to bed. Tomorrow I had to face the post Christmas Fat Club weigh-in!

Dalyan – 26th December

As it was my parents’ and Captain Caveman’s last full day in Dalyan on Monday 26th December, I had organised a last outing. After the copious amount of booze yesterday I was somewhat woolly headed as we walked Charlie and told him he would get to have a day at home. We were off on a boat trip to Köyceğiz and there was 28 of us on Ali Özalp’s boat. To make it simple we had organised it via Kaan, who’s boat was out of the water, to leave from near Kaunos Tea Gardens at 10.30am. We would take our own drinks, have a mooch round Köyceğiz market, have a bite to eat and then return before it got too cold. Josh had agreed last night that he would bring a rucksack full of Efes and we would meet him at the tea gardens. We called for croissants and Sprite at Migros then when we met Josh, he had also bought Sprite and we were all begging for mercy, after last night’s boozy shenanigans.
On board the boat were some of the usual reprobates as well as a few new people; my parents, Captain Caveman & me, Josh, Kaan, Tayfur, Vanessa & Matt, Janet & Kev, Adam & Kath, Mark & Kate, Linda, Julio, Julius & Toni, Peter, Bianca, Sue, Ron & Sarah, Cath & Keith, 007 and Gay Gaz. Of course Gay Gaz had turned up already tiddly and hadn’t got the memo that it was bring your own booze, as he stepped on the boat and asked for a vodka and coke. Kaan and Tay sorted out a quick trip to the shops to get Gaz his required fix and then we were off on the pleasant journey to Köyceğiz. I did my best to be sociable with everyone but I was feeling quite tired and delicate, and it wasn’t my last day in Dalyan, afterall. When we got to Köyceğiz I was keen to go to the fruit and veg market on account of not going on Saturday in Dalyan. There had been some talk of us all meeting up in Tuana restaurant and, if not, back on the boat at 3pm. My parents, Josh, Captain Caveman and I went off in search of fresh produce and left the others to decide what they were doing. After purchasing a rather heavy bag load of groceries I was looking forward to having a sit down and a cold drink. We didn’t get as far as Tuana before I needed to put the bag down and nip to the loo at Avant Garde restaurant. A lovely little place on the waterfront which also had good veggie options on the menu. I got a bit over ambitious and ordered a chicken burger, mom had a seafood pasta dish and the men had various quesadillas/wraps. Only Dad and Captain Caveman could manage a beer, while I hoped I’d make it home in tact.

By 3pm we were all mostly back on the boat but just waiting for a stray or two. It would be have been easy for any onlooker to think we were in the throws of a murder mystery afternoon but it turned out Kev was feeling rather more delicate than I was and had gone for a lay down on the front of the boat. Sailing back was pleasant and sunny but it was rather fresh as the sun dipped. Gay Gaz was on one of his ‘drunken and don’t care’ missions by leaning on the anchor chain while being precariously close to the switch. A few of us tried to talk him in to moving due to it not being safe and that he could end up decapitated, but it fell on deaf ears. What made him move in the end was that he might get his bright yellow coat dirty.

When we got off the boat most people went home for a good rest while only the foolhardy and inebriated soldiered on for a last drink at Rehab bar. Captain Caveman and I decided we would go get Charlie and walk him back to Rehab. By the time we got there, Kate was doing a superb job of trying to get Gay Gaz in to a taxi where neither them nor the driver knew Gaz’s address. Luckily, I had it marked on my phone and could tell the driver as Kate shouted ‘Get in to the choppa, Gary!’
In Rehab bar, Julius and Peter got their decks out and gave us a few tunes while they waited for their taxi back to Fethiye. Charlie didn’t really care for the music but he certainly was up for meeting more people and chasing a stray dog if he got the chance.
That night we didn’t even all go out as I think we had overdone it. Captain Caveman and I stayed in and he insisted on having some quiet time with Charlie to say goodbye – I think they would miss each other. My parents still went out as they had nothing in for dinner and Josh went out, but separately. Tomorrow we would all meet for breakfast and to say farewell.

Dalyan – 25th December

When I woke up on Sunday 25th December, I was slightly regretting agreeing to a Christmas Day walk so early. Our friend, 007, had previously suggested that she would like to join Captain Caveman, my parents and I if we decided to opt out of the usual Christmas Day festivities and go for a walk. We’d been looking after Charlie for 26 days now and I was wanting to make sure that we gave him plenty of exercise before we left him to go out enjoying ourselves.
007 was prompt and outside Waterfall bar at 9.30am and it was just us and Charlie, who wasn’t really wanting to go out for a walk and wanted to stay at home.
We had a lovely walk, chat and 2 stops for a hot beverage at the tea gardens, one of which we couldn’t take the dog to so we had to move on. We had set off in the cold but had ended up taking several layers off and by 1pm, when I headed back ‘home’, it was very sunny. 007 had kindly given me a small Christmas gift which I put in the kitchen for later. Charlie was absolutely done in and had decided he was getting on the sofa and not moving. This was concerning as I’d already told my parents I would go on another walk with them this afternoon. The one this morning had been too early for them but I was also worried I’d even manage it as it I was pretty tired already. Captain Caveman was about to leave to meet Josh and they were heading off to Dalaman to watch Dalyan Spor play football. I was unsure if they would be going at all as they had struggled to find transport to accommodate everyone who wanted to go.
When I contacted my mom about the walk she suggested we went to the tea garden for lunch first and then see about a walk afterwards, which I was pleased about, even though I’d already been to the other two this morning. I didn’t take Charlie with me, much to his delight and we bumped in to Tay (from Rehab) and he joined us. My mom and I had Fanta, Dad had a beer, my parents had a sandwich and I just had chips. It was really warm and we spent a couple of hours there before going back home, ready to meet up again in a couple of hours, once the fellas were back from Dalaman.

By 5pm on Christmas Day, Captain Caveman and I were treating Charlie to a trip to see his friends in Waterfall bar after his walk to Poo Corner. My parents were on their way to meet us and Josh had popped back to Captain Caveman’s apartment to get ready for tonight’s shenanigans. After dropping Charlie back off at home we walked to Bistro Blue where I had booked the 5 of us in for a meal. Captain Caveman was on good form and behaving himself, he even agreed to share starters with me. We chose stuffed mushrooms and garlic mushrooms, Josh had the onion bhajis and I can’t remember what my parents had. I was too busy trying to make sure Captain Caveman didn’t snaffle both starters. For main courses my parents had casserole type dishes, Josh had a veggie stir fry, Captain Caveman had chicken fajitas and I decided to have the steak with peppercorn sauce. My parents ordered a nice wine that they particularly liked, Captain Caveman and I stuck to the cheapest, Buzbağ, and Josh was on Efes. The meal was really lovely and I enjoyed my steak very much, having gone for the big size I had to take some home. Captain Caveman couldn’t eat all his chicken fajitas either so we had that packaged up along with a trifle and a mince pie, courtesy of Annie. We had thought we might pop by Adam and Kath’s for a drink to wish them, as well as Mark and Kate, a Merry Christmas but it was getting late. By 9.45pm Captain Caveman had surprisingly ordered an Irish coffee and was scooping the cream off, Dad was on brandy, Josh on the posh whisky, Mom and I on the Bailey’s. Annie gave us complimentary shots, Ferrero Rocher and After Eight Mints to finish off our meal and we didn’t leave there until almost midnight. I’d really enjoyed my non-festive Christmas Day and it seemed like everyone else had too.

Dalyan – 24th December

Charlie was excited to be going to the beach on Saturday 24th December, Christmas Eve. Captain Caveman had packed a bag of goodies for us to take which included a bottle of vodka, full fat and diet cokes, paper cups, fruit cake soaked in brandy, cheddar cheese and Red Leicester cheese. Fikri picked us up in the taxi at 11am and off we went to the beach, having to have a slight stop on the way because Charlie got travel sick. We decided when we arrived at the beach to take Charlie for his walk straight away to make sure he got his exercise first. We dropped our bags next to Bill and Jaxx, who had brought meat pies(!) and off we went. Charlie was much more used to the beach this time and had a lovely run and even a little paddle.

By midday Captain Caveman had poured himself a vodka and coke and was mingling around the various tables of people and their food. I took Charlie and went to find my parents who were sat with Vanessa, Matt, Mark, Kate, Debbie (Darling), Roy and Melanie. Folk were already eating and Charlie was keen to see who would drop food first as my parents ate some chicken in front of him and he snaffled a morsel of chicken breast from Dad. I saw Jamie, Norman and Edna so I took off for another walk with Charlie. He even got introduced to playing fetch the stick but he wasn’t very good at it yet.

By 1pm I was sat having a gin and a sausage roll with Penny while Charlie snaffled a couple of sausage rolls too. At 2pm Charlie and I took another stroll down the beach with Kate and then I decided to find Captain Caveman and give him Charlie for a bit. I managed to see Nanny Kay, 007, Sabine and Ray while I had a vodka and coke. I noticed Captain Caveman was getting down it, Carol from Fat Club and Vanessa joined us and they were very merry – I needed to catch up as I’d been walking and talking too much!
Before 2.30pm I had succumbed to one of Bill’s pies which were bloody lovely. Katherine, also from Fat Club, brought me over some of her goodies and I gave her some of ours. By 3.30pm a few of the Turkish fellas had arrived and I said hello to Tay, from Rehab bar. Captain Caveman introduced me to Cath and Keith, his walking buddies, and we hit it off straight away. Vanessa came in search of more wine because she’d finished hers and I saw my parents were having a good time.

For some reason a lot of our friends left rather abruptly while it was still very sunny and warm but we stayed because Fikri was booked to pick us up at 4pm. Charlie had a great time, he was such a well behaved boy and had made loads of new friends, including seeing his old mate Skippy, from Waterfall bar. Fikri had to come and get us as we were still near the cafe and we went straight back to Lukka bar to meet our friend Josh, of Phong Nha fame! As Captain Caveman, Charlie and I were in Fikri’s taxi going back from the beach, our friend Josh was already in Lukka bar waiting for us. We’d last seen Josh in March 2019 when he had left Phong Nha, Vietnam to move back to England. I was so excited to be seeing him again and that he was going to be staying in Dalyan for a week. We had welcome hugs and Efes and introduced Charlie, the dog. Charlie was not so keen on men but he liked Josh and Josh loves dogs so they were going to get on fine. I’d invited others to come to Lukka to welcome Josh but, for various reasons, it was just us. Most of the other expats were already in Tez bar, or had gone home drunk, after the Christmas Eve Iztuzu Beach shenanigans. We played pool in Lukka so that Josh could be reminded how bad I am at playing it and we caught him up with our very loose itinerary for his stay. He would be staying at our place while we were still at Charlie’s so Captain Caveman took him to drop his bag off and gave him a key.

The 3 of us and Charlie joined my parents, Mark and Kate, plus a few others at Tez bar, which was very busy. Captain Caveman took Charlie home and came back then we all got on with introducing Josh to as many Dalyan expats as possible. We were all pretty merry and by 8pm most people had overdone it. Kate got a taxi home but left Mark with us so we all decided Duble for food would be a good idea.

The 6 of us got a corner table with a heater nearby and it was very cozy. My parents had glasses of white wine while Captain Caveman, Mark and I shared a bottle of Isabey red wine and Josh had a Sprite. A few of us had the lentil soup which was lovely and then we had lamb, chicken, liver and a veggie dish. Josh was the first to go home as he’d had a long day travelling from England. The rest of us were still in Duble at 10.45pm when we insisted on Mark getting a taxi home and the rest of us walked home with arrangements to meet up tomorrow.

Photo credit – various including Captain Caveman, Jamie, Melanie and Facebook

Dalyan – 23rd December

On Friday 23rd December I wasn’t feeling too lively, after last night’s debacle. Amongst having to finish quite a few tasks and a plumber coming, I did speak to Captain Caveman about why we were arguing. He was upset because he says I micromanage him and get involved in stupid things. I begged to differ on the micromanaging, if I did I was definitely rubbish at it! Mid morning I had a break from editing and took Charlie out for a walk, he hoped his ‘dog sitting parents’ weren’t splitting up because he loved us both. Captain Caveman went out after lunch, to the barbers, and I said I might meet him, and the pool lot, at Rehab bar after 5pm. The pool afternoon for Saturday had been moved to today to accommodate Christmas Eve on the beach. I finished my stuff early and I went to the bank to get some cash. When I got to Rehab, with Charlie, Captain Caveman had found Vanessa’s purple hat and was wearing it, he’d had a shave and a haircut. Charlie made more new friends and was even giving Mark sloppy kisses – he was certainly getting used to men more!
Back home, Captain Caveman made a tasty chicken pasta for dinner. When we went in to the lounge to sit on the sofa, Charlie staged a protest by sitting on Captain Caveman. I think he was trying to make him apologise to me for upsetting me yesterday, but it didn’t work.
Tomorrow was Christmas Eve and we had lots planned, my parents and Captain Caveman were only in Dalyan for a couple more days and it was time to make the most of our time left!

Dalyan – 21st & 22nd December

On Wednesday 21st December we had Jamie booked in for introducing his dogs to Charlie. Captain Caveman was leaving in less than a week and I already had Norman and Edna (Jamie’s dogs) booked in at the end of December and again in January. Jamie had kindly agreed to let me bring Charlie with me when I moved in to his villa but we did need to make sure the dogs got on. They had met before but Edna had been a bit of a Diva so Charlie had been scared of her. Captain Caveman decided to warm up left over sausage casserole and potatoes for our brunch, it certainly wasn’t Slimming World friendly but tasted lovely. An update popped up on a Facebook group to say that the local buses were going to be on from 12 on Christmas Eve to take people to and from the beach at the usual cost of just 36 lira (£1.60) return and I sent it to my mom just incase but she’d booked the private bus with Vanessa already so she didn’t need it. I popped a curry in the slow cooker, we both walked Charlie and then I went to find out my fate at Fat Club. To my surprise I had lost 0.4kg (less than a pound) which meant I had lost just over 3kg, in total. The group had a good chat, mainly about trying not to use the Christmas excuse to eat and drink more in the run up to Christmas Day. Our group leader, Carol, confirmed we would still be having a meeting next week, in between Christmas and New Year, so that we could attempt to keep things under control! After Fat Club, I went to meet Captain Caveman at Rehab bar where he was playing pool. Charlie was making more new friends and trying to eat cat food from a hole in the bottom of a bag. I’d invited my parents but they didn’t fancy it; they had been for a walk, called at the tea gardens and were heading to Tez bar. I saw Kath, Kate and Vanessa at Rehab and more talk about Christmas arrangements/buses and such like had ensued and I could feel the tenseness of it all. I was glad not to be doing anything Christmassy as it seemed to be stressing some of the women out. Captain Caveman had decided he was going to watch football on Christmas Day and I fancied doing a dog walk. When we got home the chicken curry was coming along nicely and Jamie, Norman and Edna were due over soon. Unfortunately, Captain Caveman and I had a row because he was annoyed at me for getting involved in Christmas arrangement discussions. I was upset and was very close to cancelling Jamie coming round but decided it was too late and I didn’t care if I was emotional in front of Jamie anyway. I took Charlie out for a walk, it was dark and he alerted me to something by the side of the road – a dead cat. I took a photo so that I coud send it to the Cat charity woman, Tina, it looked like a well fed pet rather than a street cat – I thought she could post it on her page to let people know.
Fortunately, I managed to hold it all together and get on with our night without a meltdown. Jamie never suspected a thing because Captain Caveman acted as if nothing was wrong. We were all so pleased that the dogs did get on, albeit a little apprehensively on Charlie’s part at first. The curry went down a treat as did the red wine and we had a good night in the end.

It was our 11 year anniversary on Thursday 22nd December but it didn’t go well. We had mentioned it a couple of days ago but that morning, Captain Caveman didn’t acknowledge it and neither did I. He was constantly playing Bridge on an app on his phone and every time I spoke I had to repeat myself so I was at the point where I couldn’t be bothered to converse. He went Bumming in the morning and I got the laptop out. There was meant to be a plumber coming today or tomorrow too so I stayed in to make sure Charlie wasn’t near any workmen or left alone as he would be scared. In the afternoon my Mom messaged to ask if we were planning on doing anything for our anniversary and I replied that Captain Caveman was probably playing Bridge on his phone. She suggested we go out to celebrate, I wasn’t really feeling it and I needed not to be hungover tomorrow for a busy day. When Captain Caveman returned I asked if he wanted to go to meet my parents and he then twigged it was our anniversary so we decided to go. My parents had already been out for a bit when the 3 of us got to Tez bar, which was busy and full of smokers. I instantly had a coughing fit and just could not stop, despite having not coughed for 2 days. I walked off towards the river to get some air and my mom joined me shortly afterwards. I eventually went back and sat down but I was not enjoying not being able to breathe very well. I joined my parents, Captain Caveman and Gay Gaz outside and at least I could tell Gaz to move his fag without upsetting him.
While I wasn’t looking, Dad organised for a bottle of fizz to celebrate our anniversary and we were probably in the wrong place to get champagne. I think he paid a lot for it and I got annoyed that Captain Caveman didn’t even say thank you. We ended up giving Gay Gaz a glass seeing as he was sat with us and he didn’t waste any. My parents asked us to go for a meal but we weren’t up for it and we had some curry left over at home. We said our goodbyes to my tiddly parents and then arguments got worse between me and Captain Caveman. He was generally being condescending and unkind, I was not happy about it so I went in to the bedroom. Charlie kept me company as he could tell I was upset but nothing prepared me for what happened next; Captain Caveman had eaten all of the curry for his dinner and not saved me any.

Dalyan – 20th December

I was feeling much better on Tuesday 20th December but not 100%. I decided to take it easy during the day aside from being the hoover assistant to Captain Caveman. He had finally got the right tools and fixings to mend Abi’s wardrobe with and my role was to offer up the hoover to suck up the dust as he drilled the new holes. I was sceptical it would be fixable but he did a cracking job and Abi could definitely have more weight on the wardrobe rail and shelf now. It did mean she probably wouldn’t be able to find stuff when she got back as he’d taken all the outfits and bags out and not necessarily put them back as they were. In the early evening the weather was still nice as we took Charlie for a walk and had a quick trip to the shop where we bought the following;

Migros Supermarket

Onions 5.93
Potatoes 8.14
Red peppers 10.79
6 Eggs 22.45
1kg chicken breasts 75.65

Total spent 122.96 (£5.34)

When we got back I explained to Charlie that we were off out for dinner and a party. He wasn’t too pleased and decided to show me his bum!

We had been invited to Michele’s 60th birthday party at Temsi restaurant. It started at 7.30pm and, as I was probably still full of germs, even though I was feeling better, I went for a table away from everyone. Adam and Kath had just returned to Dalyan so they joined us and then Bill and Jaxx, from the Dog shelter, came and sat beside us. Michele had very kindly put a bottle of each colour wine on the table for us to drink, had organised a curry dinner and a band. It was one of the best parties I’d been to in a while and the wine seemed to perk me up no end! Before the night was over I had managed to get as many photos as possible, dance to the band and eat a very delicious curry themed buffet. We only stayed until the singing of ‘Happy Birthday’ and cake cutting as I didn’t want to overdo it. I’d enjoyed the party and it was the first time I’d been at Temsi’s new venue since it moved in to the old Nazo’s building a while ago. We were impressed and it had been lovely to be invited and see so many people celebrating.

Video of the band at the beginning of the night

A video of a few of us dancing to a song that Ian, from the band, dedicated to the ladies of the Fat Club – Lip up Fatty by Bad Manners.

Dalyan – 18th & 19th December

I’d not slept from coughing most of the night and was still feeling rough on Sunday 18th December. Before I’d got out of bed I’d had messages from various people about buses to the beach on Christmas Eve. When I’ve been before I’ve just got the public bus but for some reason people were getting their knickers in a twist about organising private mini buses to take everyone. Captain Caveman and I had already decided we would get a taxi because then we could take Charlie and if it got too much for him we could leave when we wanted. I’d already checked with Fikri that he would allow Charlie in the car and he would. I told my Mom, Vanessa and Kate that we would be doing that. We would also be meeting Josh in Lukka bar as soon as we got back from the beach and that they could join us too. For some unknown reason one of the expats in Tez Bar had told my mom that I was organising a trip to Fethiye or Çalış for next week. This lead my Mom to wonder why I hadn’t asked her when the reality was I was sick in bed, was never involved and it wasn’t true – sometimes I despair! While Captain Caveman went dogging and looked after the dog walking, I had soup and toast. I was exhausted but I finished what I needed to do, by which time Captain Caveman had gone to watch Dalyan Spor play football in the afternoon. I’d managed to make a curry in the slow cooker for dinner before going back to bed.

I was still sick and awake from coughing at 5am on Monday 19th December. Captain Caveman made me a bacon sandwich when he got up and I ate it in bed. We had an invite to Jan and David’s Christmas party this lunch time and I really wanted to go but I was very conscious that, although I’d tested negative for Covid, whatever I had got didn’t need to be passed on to anyone (vulnerable or not). Jan and David are in Captain Caveman’s Bridge group so he’d become quite good friends with them and we were both pleased to have been invited. Captain Caveman thought I looked much better and suggested I go but I didn’t think I should. I stayed at ‘home’ with Charlie, made a slow cooker meal with roast potatoes for later and slept, a lot. When Captain Caveman returned he had a Christmas card and 6 mince pies from Jan and David and I was really touched. I could tell I was ill as it made me emotional when I bit in to one of the rather delicious mince pies. Captain Caveman said he’d had a good time at the party with some lovely food and nice people.
I went back to bed, slept more and woke up feeling a little bit like I was starting to recover. For the first time in 4 days I decided to join Captain Caveman and Charlie on their walk and wrapped myself up warmly. We had only gone to Poo corner and were heading back in the direction of the corner shop so we could pick up some bread when I started to get out of breath. This flu bug really had knocked it out of me and, as we approached the end of the road, we saw Vanessa, Matt and my parents sat in Waterfall bar. They had been out to Dalaman for the day and had called in to our local for a beer. We went in but I was so wary of being near them in case I passed on my illness and I wasn’t really functioning properly. Mehmet automatically brought me a beer which I didn’t want and I gave most of it to Captain Caveman. I don’t even remember what we talked about apart from buses and Christmas Eve beach arrangements. By 7pm we were eating sausage casserole with lovely roast potatoes and I was back in bed early.

Dalyan – 16th & 17th December

On Friday 16th December I felt ill when I woke up and I knew I had caught the bug that was going round. Captain Caveman walked Charlie then went to Bridge while I muddled through my To Do list. I did my weekly measurements to find I had lost 1cm from my bust, put 3cm on my waist and 2cm on my hips. My leg measurements still differed by 1cm.
When Captain Caveman came home neither of us could be bothered to cook so we had bread and leftover mezes from Nil lounge’s Fat Club party on Wednesday. Captain Caveman arranged to do a long walk tomorrow with friends and this time it was suitable to take Charlie as it was flat. He was going to suss out if it would be suitable enough for me to do it and then, if it was, I could perhaps do it with my parents and 007 on Christmas day.
I definitely had a flu type bug and by 3pm I was in bed unable to function. I tried to sleep but couldn’t and Katrina, who lives in the apartment below, got in touch to say her water leak downstairs was becoming a bigger problem so she was sending her hubby, Mehmet, round with a plumber, tomorrow.
For dinner we had leftover beef stew and I went straight back to bed, feeling terrible. I hoped I didn’t have Covid but the symptoms were starting to feel like it.

I was still unwell on Saturday 17th December, in fact I felt even worse. Captain Caveman brought me a bacon sandwich in bed and I stayed there all day and night. Captain Caveman let Mehmet and a man in to look at the bathroom, then he took Charlie with him to the market and then on his walk. Despite attempts to fix the leak I wasn’t sure it was fixed yet, but we would see. Captain Caveman was convinced it was something to do with pipes outside but nobody understood that.
In the afternoon I did a Covid test as I was getting worse – it was negative. Kate also had similar symptoms, was also in bed and negative. I had soup for lunch and tried to do some Turkish on Duolingo but found the new layout not as good as the original and the free version I use was not as easy to be able to do more than a few minutes at a time.
When Captain Caveman returned he had bought me more soup, strepsils and cough medicine. He made us french onion soup for tea and said they had all enjoyed their walk. Charlie was pleased to see me and wasn’t as tired after this walk as he was the first big one he did.

Photo credit – Captain Caveman took the photo of Charlie on his walk

Dalyan – 15th December

I wasn’t feeling too sprightly on Thursday 15th December so I wasn’t really looking forward to the afternoon invitation. Gay Gaz had invited a few people over for food, drink and carol singing at his place. Captain Caveman went Bumming in the morning while I looked after and walked Charlie. My parents were ready at their place when Captain Caveman and I arrived to walk to Gary’s party. We decided to take gin so that Captain Caveman could have his with tonic and I took cherry juice for mine. My parents took a bottle of white wine and a bottle of red wine and I wondered if they had underestimated how much they might need. When we arrived Debbie (Darling) and Roy were already there as well as 2 of Gary’s Turkish friends. John was there too but Andrea was at home sick and couldn’t come. Mark had made a recovery after being poorly and had arrived with Kate who had started to feel unwell. Sue, Janet, Kev, Engin and Sheila arrived while Liz & Dave and Rach & Nuri were last to arrive. Sue brought sausage rolls which were lovely and so my diet this week went out of the window, only a day after the last weigh-in. Gay Gaz had made gammon which was delicious and various friends had brought other tasty morsels. As you can probably imagine it turned in to an absolute piss up and a half! The 4 dogs (Jeffrey, George, Wilma and Linus) managed to get out of a bedroom and 2 escaped which cheesed off a neighbour. We sang loads of Christmas carols and it was hilarious. Once my Dad had drank his bottle of wine he and mom left but Captain Caveman and I stayed longer, enough for me to try a glass of Sheila’s homemade wine.

Dalyan – 14th December

Knowing that I had something arranged in the afternoon of Wednesday 14th December, I cracked on with getting stuff done in the morning. Captain Caveman went Dogging so I took Charlie out for a walk to Poo corner. At 2.30pm Kate came over to pick up her house key and pop some stuff in the freezer for Christmas day. Captain Caveman and I were looking forward to having our mate, Josh, over from Christmas Eve and we were happy to not be doing a traditional Christmas Day, we were in Turkey afterall.
At 3pm I got weighed at Fat Club where I had lost 1kg (2lb). This was good news as we were about to start our Christmas party at Nil Lounge where we had already pre-ordered food and prosecco. The place looked gorgeous, everyone was dressed up, except for me as I’d not taken many clothes over to Charlie’s. Kate and I had 3 bottles of fizz between us. Others from Fat Club were much more sensible and only had 1 bottle between 2. We also both ordered the mixed mezes as we didn’t want to eat a big main course but it was huge and I ended up taking quite a lot home. We had issues opening all of the bottles of wine, which Carol had got for us from outside of Dalyan, so Katherine got the knife out on them – for the price we didn’t care! The food was very good and we had a lovely afternoon which turned in to a late one for Ghislaine, Kate and I as we had a couple of beers in Mustang bar. We had tried to join the pool lads at Rehab but it had closed and they had all gone home. When I got home I was very tipsy having had a really good time with the Fat Club girls.

Dalyan – 13th December

It was my last cat feeding session on Tuesday 13th December at Mark and Kate’s as, hopefully, they would be on the flight back from Gatwick this morning. I wasn’t sure if there definitely would be a flight due to the adverse weather conditions in England so I kept the house key when I left that morning. It was rainy and muddy on my way back. Both Captain Caveman and Charlie were still asleep and the house was quite messy. It was clear that Captain Caveman had forgotten I was due ‘home’ or he wasn’t excited to have me back. I had a shower and put some washing in while Captain Caveman got ready to go to Bridge and walked Charlie. At 11.10am, Turkish time, Mark and Kate’s flight had gone ahead and I was pleased they were coming back. I tidied and cleaned a bit then I walked Charlie before going to singing group. He had been restless, pleased to have me back but kept trying to keep me from typing.
I managed to not be called fat or pregnant at Singing group this week (always a bonus) and we sang a few Christmas carols, which was good and took me back to school assembly. There was a new couple there, which was nice, and the chap had ordered a beer, I’d not realised they had beer so I also ordered one. Kate and Vanessa had not made it but my mom had and we knew most of the Christmas songs between us.
Back at Charlie’s, Captain Caveman and I had beef stew for dinner with the jacket potatoes I’d done in the oven but the spuds didn’t turn out too good. It was nice to be back ‘home’ but it was clear that Captain Caveman wasn’t as pleased that I was. Thankfully, Charlie seemed very happy to see me so at least I was made welcome by one of them.