Dalyan – 23rd December

Monday 23rd December turned out to be quite busy for me as I had a lot to do before Jamie returned tomorrow. It was also bad news on the weather forecast for anyone who was planning on going to the beach for the annual Christmas Eve gathering. Captain Caveman and The Aussies were planning on going, however, I was going to be with Norman and Edna waiting for Jamie to get safely back. I preferred for me not to go and get stuck down at the beach, in case there were any delays. After a month away, it was important to Jamie that he was able to see his fur babies as soon as he walked in the door and he had planned a night on the sofa with wine and dog cuddles. While Captain Caveman went Dogging, and after tea and cornflakes for breakfast, I went to Captain Net to pay the next month of our internet which was 400 lira (£9.05) but would be going up in January. I went to the shops in the rain, here’s what I bought on the first trip;

Migros Supermarket

Pasta 11.75
Spaghetti 11.75
Tinned tomatoes 19.95
Cheese 89.90
Total spent 133.35 lira (£3.02)

Yaman Büfe 2
Jamie’s shopping:
1 bottle of red wine (Angora) 322.50 lira (£7.30)

Palmiye Pet Store
Dog food 495.00lira (£11.20)

Back at Jamie’s, I started to do some cleaning to minimise how much I had to get through tomorrow. I did a bit of work and messaged Jamie to discuss his plans to get back home during a predicted storm.
When Captain Caveman got back from Dogging and a shower at home, we had soup for lunch and then I needed to go over for a shower so we took some stuff back over and the dogs for a walk.
I was still concerned about money and income for both of us, so I was cautious that with our Australian friends arriving tonight, we didn’t have any spare in the budget to be able to go out. Captain Caveman seemed a bit more relaxed about it than me and he even suggested we go to the shops and get stocked up. We wrote a list and, because of our Christmas plans, we had some luxury items in the shopping, here’s what we bought with the prices in lira;

BIM Supermarket
Vermicelli 8.50
Wholemeal bread 22.50
Brown bread 24.50
Lentils 40.50
4 Dido chocolate bars 66.00
Total spent 162.00 lira (£3.67)

A101 Supermarket
Kaymak (Clotted cream) 59.00
Olives 79.50
Total spent 138.50 lira (£3.13)

Migros Supermarket
1l Tonic 45.00
Butter 99.95
1 pack of ordinary cheese 139.90
350g Strong Cheese 199.90
Total spent 484.75 lira (£10.97)

Şevikoğlu Supermarket
2 Metro chocolate bars 23.00
Cheese crackers 44.90
Total spent 67.90 lira (£1.54)

Şok Supermarket
Cheese crackers 28.00
Paprika crisps 35.00
Plain crisps 39.50
Total spent 102.50 lira (£2.32)

We had splashed out and got some nice treats for Captain Caveman’s last week in Dalyan. That evening, we had leftover bolognese on a jacket potato and we watched TV while I did a bit of social media content for over the Christmas period.

Dalyan – 22nd December

Sunday 22nd December was our anniversary and Captain Caveman had scheduled a Sunday Walk which incorporated going by the Dog Shelter to walk a dog. There was also a planned power cut which we didn’t know if it would affect either of the houses so I decided to join a small part of the walk with Norman and Edna. There was quite a few people on the walk, Norman and Edna loved it and wanted to continue on, but I turned back home before the dog shelter as we didn’t think it would be responsible to take them up there. While Captain Caveman and his fellow walkers, walked, I had cornflakes and a grapefruit for a late breakfast, with an extra cup of tea. I did some writing and a bit of work while it was quiet.

When Captain Caveman and some of the remaining walkers were on their way back, he called me to see if I wanted to re-join the walk to go back to the start point, Kaunos tea gardens. I got my shoes and coat on and went along, and I even shared a mixed toastie. Janet joined Ian and a lady on holiday met with her husband so we all sat together and had a chat.
Here’s what the group ordered, with prices in lira;

1 Tea 10.00
3 Double Teas 45.00
2 Latte Coffees 100.00
1 Mixed toastie 100.00
1 Chicken sandwich 125.00
2 Chips 180.00
3 Efes Malt beers 435.00
Total 995.00 lira (£22.51)

Captain Caveman’s and mine came to 260 lira (£5.88) which I thought was reasonable for a beer, a double tea and a mixed toastie.
On the way back, Jamie had run out of dog food almost so we walked to the pet shop to get more. Unfortunately it was closed on Sundays so we walked home and had soup for lunch.
That evening we had pasta bolognese and another bottle of our Levissi Christmas wine, this time the Makri red. It was very nice and so far the 3 bottles we had drunk were going down well. It was a nice way to celebrate 13 years of being together, even though Captain Caveman thought we had already acknowledged it on Thursday!

Photo credit – some photos by the Sunday Walkers

Dalyan – 20th & 21st December

More rain was forecast on Friday 20th December as well as a likelihood that it was going to be bad weather over the Christmas period and in time for The Aussies arriving on Monday. There was also a potential power cut due which we had been fairly lucky so far to have avoided most of them. I made Pho Ga (Chicken noodle soup) for breakfast as it had been a while since we had eaten it and we had left over chicken to use. I had a busy day working, blogging and playing with Norman and Edna while Captain Caveman went to play Bridge with Sezgin. I cracked on and made good progress, Captain Caveman brought back bread and a bottle of wine to have with our dinner and he made soup, with vermicelli in, for lunch. We had more banana bread and it was definitely better this time, with less egg. For dinner we had curry with rice and a bottle of the Petit Verdot red wine. It was easily finished but we did come to the conclusion that this bottle was a lot drier than the last bottle.

The rain came down so heavily on Saturday 21st December that Norman and Edna were even reluctant to go out under the terrace. Ordinarily we would not have gone outside at all in this weather and it was definitely the heaviest downpour I have walked through Dalyan in. Jan & David’s Christmas buffet was starting at 12.30pm and we made it on time. I wore my wellies and didn’t get dressed up as I knew we were going to get soaked. There was no way we would cancel as I knew that Jan had gone to great lengths for this day and her & David were already not having Christmas Day as planned. We were one of the first to arrive and we were welcomed in to the house and told to help ourselves to drinks. The food was amazing and plentiful, as was the wine! I started on rose and then went on to red to accompany the cheese selection and the homemade mince pies. The Slimming World plan had gone well and truly out of the window and I even got a bit drunk of the fantastic Christmas cake with royal icing and marzipan.
We had a lovely afternoon and were of the last to leave, a little bit merry but glad it had stopped raining at last. Back home, we walked Norman and Edna and it started to rain again.

Photo credit – photos from Jan & David’s party guests

Dalyan – 19th December

I had made time in my work diary to do the Quote testing on Thursday 19th December and had expected that Captain Caveman would be Bumming in the morning. I had a cup of tea but didn’t have any breakfast as I got straight on with work. At lunch time I made another banana bread and we had a slice of that for lunch.
In the afternoon I took a break from work, as we were still waiting for the Quote tool to be finalised, and I popped to the shops. Here’s what I bought in all 3 shops, with prices in lira;

BIM Supermarket
2 Dido chocolate bars 33.00
A 1.2kg whole chicken 97.32
Total spent 130.32 lira (£2.97)

A101 Supermarket
2 packs of mini wraps 30.00
1 pack normal wrap 43.50
Total spent 73.50 lira (£1.67)

Migros Supermarket
15 eggs 87.50
Frozen fruit 89.95
Total spent 177.45 lira (£4.04)

While I was out, I noticed that both Migros and A101 were selling fresh or frozen turkeys especially for Christmas and Migros even had some Christmas related tat in, which I think was the first time I had seen it in Dalyan.
That evening, despite not bringing any more wine over from our apartment, I cooked a Sunday roast dinner on a Thursday! It wasn’t that wild a notion as in Captain Caveman’s eyes, he thought today was our 13th anniversary. We met on the Thursday before Christmas so he sees this day as being our anniversary rather than the actual date.

Photo credit – some photos from the Riverbums

Dalyan – 18th December

It was definitely my own fault that I had sabotaged hitting my weight target when it came to weigh day on Wednesday 18th December, but I wasn’t impressed with myself and knew I could’ve done better this week. I took my measurements to find I had put 1cm on my bust, 1cm off my waist and my hips had stayed the same. On the home scales it read that I had stayed the same as last week which was a miracle. Carol’s scales would be the ones to tell the actual result at 3pm this afternoon, though.
There was no Turkish class today and I was meant to use the time to do my homework, instead I had cornflakes and a banana for breakfast and got on with some work. We had leek and potato soup with bread, for lunch then Captain Caveman took Norman and Edna on the postponed Sunday Walk, now a Wednesday Wander. He intended to cut it short if either dog got tired and promised not to wear them out as they only have little legs. I went to Fat Club for the full hour, with it being the first one back for Carol. She picked me up so that I didn’t have to carry the heavy bag of books and the scales. It was good to have Carol back as the pressure to be good was definitely felt. Unfortunately, this week I had put on 0.25kg (0.6lb) as I thought I might and so I still needed to lose 0.5kg (1.1lb) to hit that ever elusive target. My water and protein levels were still showing low but this week there was a change in my believed age. The app we use measures all these things through the app, somehow, and it had rated me as age 62 (11 years older) until now. I was now showing age 55 so I was pleased that it was having a good result, heading in the right direction and was determined to get to target by the end of the year.
On the way home, I called at the shop, here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
1 packet of jellies 17.45
2 tins of tomatoes 29.90
1 tin of chickpeas 31.95
Total spent 79.30 lira (£1.80)

I did more work and made a chicken, chickpea and spinach curry for dinner. Captain Caveman returned with Norman and Edna who had done the walk and we’re fighting fit. Edna went straight over to where the treat tin is and told me she deserved a snack! I gave them both a Shmacko, which did not touch the sides. I dialled in to the Resort Experts team meeting and Captain Caveman went upstairs to play Bridge. This week there was a bit of excitement on the call as we got an update about our new quote tool which would help us with package holidays from the UK on Easyjet, TUI and Jet2 Holidays. The next roll out would be hotel only accommodation and eventually cruises. This was great news and would really free up our time on the admin part of the quoting work which we do a lot of on a daily basis. Having worked with Insurance quotes some years ago this was right up my alley and I was looking forward to doing any testing required. This was also a good time to be telling people that if they are booking a holiday, I would love them to book it with me and I started to increase my Social Media posts on Facebook. I also decided that, as I wasn’t celebrating Christmas, I would work every day in December to build up my potential client base. Captain Caveman had booked a flight back to London on New Year’s Eve, as his 90 days in Turkey would finish then. He would leave at lunch time on New Year’s Eve and go to stay with his parents initially.
We enjoyed our curry with a bottle of the Levissi Gamay and were really impressed by it. By 10.30pm, though, my evening companions were absolutely out for the count and snoring away.

Dalyan & Göcek – 17th December

There was a planned power cut due at our apartment on Tuesday 17th December but it was not going to affect our day, as we had an exciting trip out planned. I got my cup of tea in bed and then got up to have a double breakfast of buttered toast and a grapefruit. I’d already gone way over the top on syns this week so I knew I was going to have put weight on at Fat Club tomorrow. Captain Caveman had a really bad sore throat and shouldn’t have been coming on the day out but he insisted he would be fine as long as he didn’t speak. I walked the dogs and got them settled for the rest of the day as we went to meet our friends, Ian & Janet. Captain Caveman had become good friends with Ian through the Sunday Walking group and he had told us about a place in Göcek, where they used to live, that has a great wine shop with good deals on. The sun was shining and we had arranged to go along for some wine shopping, which is what I had decided I would spend my parents’ Christmas money on as a really nice treat. We arrived in Göcek just before lunch time and went straight to the Levissi Wine shop where we met Ian and Janet’s friend. The lady who ran the shop knew our fellow wine shoppers very well and was very friendly. The Levissi wine that was on offer was only 150 lira (£3.37) per bottle so was great value and also, according to Janet, really good. Ian doesn’t drink alcohol so we only had Janet’s word for it but their friend could also recommend it. Our friends had quite a few bottles but we decided we would just get 12 bottles, 2 of each of 5 reds and a 2 of the rose. They also had whites but we both prefer red in winter so I didn’t want to get something we wouldn’t drink. Here’s what we got at the wine shop;

Levissi Şarap Evi
2 bottles of Petit Verdot red wine 300
2 bottles of Gamay red wine 300
2 bottles of Merlot red wine 300
2 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon red wine 300
2 bottles of Makri red wine 300
2 bottles of Makri blush wine 300
Total spent 1,800 lira (£40.45)

I was thrilled that we had got so much wine for such a bargain, the cheapest one I’ve enjoyed in Dalyan was 43% more. After borrowing a couple of shopping trollies from the nearby Carrefour supermarket to take all the wine to the car, we decided to have a meander round Göcek town centre. Janet and I got involved with a stray dog situation as I just couldn’t help it. A lively pup came up to us and barked until we followed him to his fat, old (dog) friend who was laying on the floor outside the back of a building. The pup was trying to tell us that the older overweight dog couldn’t get up and I thought it was sick. I did a bit of a foolish thing really, as I went to check it out and got a bit too near to the dog and it snapped at me a little. It turned out that the older dog just didn’t want to play and the pup was just trying to get his friend to get up and join in. We re-joined the men who hadn’t noticed we had been gone and then we had a really nice stroll around the town, stopping off at the pharmacy for more throat sweets for Captain Caveman, who had now started talking fine. We bought ginger throat pastilles for 49.95 lira (£1.12) at Watson’s and I noticed they had quite a good range of electric toothbrush heads at a good price.

After the wine shopping, we decided to have lunch in Göcek at a cute waterfront café, called Moc Café. It was a first for both Captain Caveman and I however our fellow wine shoppers had been a few times and liked it there. The sun was shining so we sat outside and ordered drinks then lunch. The men chose pizza or burgers, which were massive, and Janet and I ordered a chicken wrap. We all stuck to non-alcoholic drinks to be sensible and when the food came it was really nice. Janet & I got chicken shish instead of a wrap but it turned out to be a good mistake and probably better for my Slimming World plan, even though it was a little bit too late now. Captain Caveman and I paid 1,155.00 lira (£25.96) for a Turkish tea, an Americano coffee, 1 Cheeseburger and 1 Chicken shish. I really enjoyed having a rare lunch out and I thought the prices, to say we were sat on the harbour front in a stylish café, were pretty reasonable.
We drove back after lunch and on the way back, Janet and Ian invited us in to their home to try last year’s stock of the Levissi wine. Janet had a bottle of the Merlot already opened and she ended up opening another, it was very quaffable and we were pleased with our purchases if it was as good as this batch.

Ian, who doesn’t drink, drove us home and Captain Caveman went home to unpack the wine with strict instructions to take a photo of it so I could send it to my Mom to say thank you for our Christmas present. I rushed back to make sure Norman and Edna were ok as this was the first time in the 3 weeks we had left the dogs for longer than a couple of hours. When I went in to Jamie’s living room, Norman and Edna had just been snoozing away but were pleased to see me. I let them out while a grabbed the leads and poo bags for a walk. Norman was enjoying the new tiled patio area so much that he had taken to doing a poo on the same tile whenever he got the chance and he didn’t disappoint today. Captain Caveman arrived back and he was feeling a bit better so he made spaghetti with chicken, red pepper, onion and sucuk for our dinner. We didn’t have any more wine, though, as we had already had enough.

Dalyan – 13th December

Friday 13th December was one of those unusual days and it really cheered both Captain Caveman and I up, I had 2 cups of tea to start my day and a grapefruit. I had a bit of a shift in attitude and decided I needed to be a bit more positive and grateful for the things I did have. Our first mission of the day was a first for me – taking Norman and Edna to the vets. They had their appointment for some routine medication so Captain Caveman and I walked them along to Kaunos vets. They both seemed fairly happy to be in the vets and Edna even jumped on the scales and tried to choose herself some treats for being good – this was before we got in to the vet’s room. Once inside, Norman knew exactly what was going on and was already moving back towards the door. Each dog was to be given 2 tablets and one was pretty big for a small dog. First up was Edna and I told her the tablets were treats! I barely saw both of hers get swallowed but I did see her try to eat Norman’s too. Norman was very crafty and he pretended to swallow the first smaller tablet, I actually saw him swallow, so the vet gave him the larger one and held his mouth shut. He waited and then spat both out!! The second and third attempts were more successful. On the way out Norman had to be lifted on the scales but Edna jumped on and waited for her result. They had both lost weight and Edna was pleased to be doing so well on her weight loss journey.
We called at the shops, where Captain Caveman and the dogs waited outside. Here’s what we bought and the prices in lira;

Şevikoğlu Supermarket
1 tomato puree 19.90
1 tin of tomatoes 23.90
880g chicken breast 140.71
Total spent 184.51 lira (£4.19)

Yaman Büfe 2
1 bottle of red Idol wine 215.000 lira (£4.89)

Migros Supermarket
2 Dido chocolate bars 28.50
1 packet Tutku biscuits 35.50
Mozzarella cheese 89.90
420g Feta style cheese 278.30
Total spent 268.80 lira (£6.11)

Back home we had the obligatory soup, with bread and a Dido chocolate bar each. Edna had decided she liked the sunny sofa arm and I did a quick video for Jamie and I finished work early, with it being a Friday. Captain Caveman and I shared making fajitas for dinner.
We arrived at our friend’s villa on time and armed with 2 bottles of wine and some chocolate biscuits. Joining us were 2 ladies who had only met briefly before but had quite a lot in common. We all knew each other from the Sunday walks, which was nice. The night was so lovely, with perfect hosts; there were pastries, mince pies, chocolate cake, pickled onions (which I love) and plenty of mulled and normal wine! I didn’t take any photos on account of the company who prefer not to have photos taken so I didn’t want to be rude and I was too busy enjoying myself to get my phone out anyway. It was just what we needed!
I got rather tipsy with 3 mulled wines and 3 red wines before we staggered home. I had one of those drunken epiphanies that one sometimes gets after reading too many words of wisdom on social media!

Dalyan – 11th December

It was weigh day once again on Wednesday 11th December and I was hoping, but not confident, that I may have reached my target weight. My measurements were OK but both my bust and waist had remained the same and I had lost 2cm from my hips. I was now under target on my bust and hips and only 1cm over on my waist. I updated our shopping list and had pink grapefruit for breakfast and then did my Turkish homework upstairs, leaving it a little late before the lesson. On Jamie’s scales Captain Caveman had lost 1.4kg (3lb) and I had lost 0.5kg (1.1lb) but Carol’s scales would be the deciding ones later.
I was running late for Turkish class as I was waiting for the curtain pole workmen to arrive at Jamie’s. It also meant that I didn’t join Captain Caveman who went to say bye to a fellow Riverbum, who was moving towns.

The Turkish class was at Ela’s Kitchen again and was the last one for 2024. I treated myself to a lovely cup of Yorkshire tea for 80 lira (£1.82).
At midday Captain Caveman went on the postponed Sunday Walk and we had left the dogs in the front bedroom so they weren’t disturbed by the curtain men. When I got back to Jamie’s the workmen were still there so I had some bread and butter in the bedroom with Norman and Edna. Jamie had messaged and was missing the dogs so I took the opportunity to do a video for him.

At Fat Club, I had done well and had lost 0.7kg (1.5lb) but still had a tiny bit left to lose now.
After the group, I decided to get the shopping in and then struggled to carry it all back. Here’s what I bought, with prices in lira;

A101 Supermarket
1 plastic bag 0.25
1 lemon Dido 9.90
1 Salt & Vinegar Lays crisps 30.00
12 Toilet rolls 84.00
Total spent 124.15 lira (£2.82)

BIM Supermarket
1 plastic bag 0.25
1kg basmati rice 62.50
6 Dido chocolate bars 101.00
Total spent 163.75 lira (£3.72)

Yaman Bufe 2
2 bottles of red wine 460.00 lira (£10.45)

Migros Supermarket
1 tin tomatoes 14.95
2 Quark 59.90
15 eggs 87.50
Total spent 162.60 lira (£3.70)

I’d had to buy plastic bags as I couldn’t find any and needed more than I had in my bag. I bought the chocolate bars on offer and intended to take them to a friends on Friday night – if we didn’t eat them all first!

I’d barely put the shopping away when Norman decided he wanted me to play football, so we did. Captain Caveman made us spaghetti bolognese for dinner and then it was time for my Resort Experts team meeting where Jamie got to see his dogs cosied up on the sofa.
After the meeting we attempted to watch TV but Captain Caveman and the dogs were snoring away.

Dalyan – 22nd November

On Friday 22nd November it looked like the rain and storms were over and we had a glimpse of some sunshine. As I had my cup of tea and some cornflakes, I read a little about an alternative destination in Lapland, called Oulu. Usually visitors at Christmas flock to Rovaniemi but it can be busy and pricey so Oulu was looking like a good option for anyone wanting to go to Finland at Christmas. I’d always fancied it although I thought it would be for kids but this city looked like it had lots to do. It was on my list for the future!
Unfortunately, Captain Caveman’s Bridge Club was cancelled so he wasn’t too happy but I managed to find something to keep him from despair! Someone we knew well, wanted us to go and look at a property that was for sale and I needed Captain Caveman to help me find it. I had my reservations as to whether it had been advertised correctly so we decided to go and look without the agent to get an idea of location and condition, just from the outside. It turned out to be very similar to one we had looked at before Captain Caveman had bought Fire Opal. We thought it would be too small for the potential buyers and that it might be overpriced.

It started to rain while we were out but not nearly as bad as it had been yesterday so we persevered and called at the shops. Here’s what we bought and the prices in lira;

Yaman Büfe 2
1 Idol white wine 215.00
1 Idol red wine 215.00
Total spent 430.00 lira (£9.93)

A101 Supermarket
2 packs mini wraps 30.00 lira (69p)

Migros Supermarket
1 pack spaghetti 11.75
2 packs pasta 23.50
1 pack broken rice 24.95
580g Chicken thighs 91.35
1.6kg whole chicken 108.98
1kg Chicken breasts 196.03
Parmesan cheese 199.90
Total spent 656.46 lira (£15.16)

As we passed the bus station, Captain Caveman took a photo of the new timetable for the bus to the beach. There was only the one winter service now, going at 12 noon and returning at 5pm. We bought the usual fresh bread from the bakery across from the bus station and fresh bread is still so cheap in Turkey. We paid just 10 lira (23p) and the bread is very good.
As Captain Caveman had free time on his hands, he made us a chicken salad sandwich with sweet potatoes done in the air fryer, for lunch.
We messaged back to the UK with photos and videos to the potential property buyers and I asked if they fancied a video call to discuss – they didn’t as they were busy and had also had snow where they were in England.

I carried on with work while Captain Caveman played Bridge on his phone. Tonight our team meeting had been moved from Wednesday so I had invited Jamie round so that we could do it together. Our boss had given strict instructions that, as we were at a team meeting on a Friday night, we should bring a bottle of wine from the country we were in. Jamie and I had no problem with that and he had a bottle of Rituel and I had chosen Idol, both red. Norman and Edna came too and they had cuddles with Captain Caveman while we tried not to get too merry for the team meeting. I’d done a curry in the slow cooker and I’d also made some curried sweet potato samosas to have as a starter with a cucumber, mint, lemon juice and quark dip. Jamie was on a health kick too so I’d made everything Slimming World friendly. We had the samosas before the meeting as Captain Caveman couldn’t wait and I was getting peckish.
The meeting went well and we had an update from the bosses about a new website for villas which anyone with luxury holiday villas, in any part of the world, could add on to the site, as a host, to attract customers through Resort Experts.
After the meeting we snaffled down the chicken, sweet potato, chickpea and spinach curry with steamed rice and başlamak bread, then finished off the wine. It turned in to quite a night – Jamie, Norman and Edna didn’t leave until gone midnight!

Dalyan – 20th November

Captain Caveman took the dogs out early on Wednesday 20th November and then we both got weighed. Even though Captain Caveman wasn’t actually on a diet, he had agreed to support me on my healthier lifestyle by eating the same as me, if not just a little bit more than me in terms of portion size. I had stayed the same weight as last week on the home scales, my bust and waist measurements also remained the same but I had put on 2cm on my hips. Captain Caveman had lost 1.15kg (2.5lb) and was now under the 80kg mark.
As his schedule is free on Wednesdays, Captain Caveman had previously said he would look after Norman and Edna while I went out to Turkish class, which I ended up being late to. Today it was held at The Pier which is a lovely new restaurant. I had already been warned that a coffee could cost up to 200 lira (£4.59) there so I had decided I wouldn’t buy a drink. An hour’s Turkish lesson is less than that and buying unnecessary drinks soon adds up. The Pier was very lovely, though, and I thought it looked like a great venue to bring family and friends when they come to visit.

On the way back home, I spotted a dead snake on the pavement and took a photo to try to identify it later, but it was upside down. At Fire Opal it was evident that the painting was finished but the cleaning up after, wasn’t included in their work! Once again it was soup for lunch, a dog walk with both of us and then I was off to Fat Club.

Miraculously, I had lost 0.2kg (0.4lb) and meant I only had just over 2kg (4.4lb) left to lose to hit my target. The app we were using was still showing I had the body of a 58 year old though, down from 61 at least. Carol was off to the UK for 3 weeks so she had asked me to hold the fort for her. I was honoured and hoped it might be a bit of motivation to actually keep on track and not lapse while she was gone. Carol dropped me off at mine with the precious scales and all the books. For dinner we had a Slimming World friendly chicken and leek bake with pasta and it was so tasty, washed down with a bottle of white wine between us. We went to bed that night, having walked the dogs and told them Little Daddy, Jamie, was on his way home right now. Tomorrow he would be picking them both up and we would be responsibility free once again.

Dalyan – 14th November

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

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

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

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

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

Photo credit – some photos taken by Mom and

Dalyan – 12th November

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

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

Dalyan – 3rd November

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

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

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

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

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

Dalyan – 1st November

On Friday 1st November I got up early so I could have my cup of tea in bed and then get to the post office to see if my new residency card had been delivered there. Captain Caveman woke up to news that there was a possibility of some work that would be ideal for him and that cheered me up a lot. I was definitely more stressed than he was about him not having any set plans yet for what he was going to do when he had to leave Turkey in 2 months’ time. Captain Caveman was very relaxed about it all but I hated not knowing where he (or I) would be for 2025.
Captain Caveman and I walked as far as the Post Office together and he went off to Bridge Club. At the Post Office, I learned from the very helpful man, that my residency card was still in Ankara and I was advised to come back on Tuesday.
On the way back home, I called at the bakery for fresh bread and treated myself to an açma (a cross between a croissant and a bagel) which I would have when I got back with the last of Vanessa’s homemade strawberry jam. I took some measurements and photos of my David Roberts’ Egyptian fine art prints which I still had and decided to email Sotheby’s and some other auction houses to find out the value of them. I’d bought them about 30 years ago and, since leaving England and bringing them to Turkey, I had kept them in storage as I no longer had anywhere to hang them. I really loved them and I didn’t want to part with them but it seemed silly to have them in a cupboard and not sell them to someone who would love them, while also raising a bit of spare cash. With the start of the new month I was very aware of the need to be as frugal as possible, Captain Caveman’s Vietnamese bank card no longer worked in Turkey and I was only just in to my new part time role as a Travel Adviser for Resort Experts. I was conscious that I would still not be able to spend money willy-nilly until I was able to be in a more steady position.
I spent the rest of the morning tidying and cleaning the house as we had guests over this evening. Captain Caveman came back from Bridge Club and we had pasta with chicken, pumpkin, sucuk, quark, egg and cheese. It was quite tasty and filling, ready for tonight’s drinking session. In the afternoon, while I hoovered and cleaned the apartment, Captain Caveman was given the job of putting the sun lounger cushions underneath our bed, getting out the spare chairs and cleaning the downstairs bathroom. When I came downstairs he was playing Bridge and had only half done his jobs so I redid the downstairs toilet and told him to do the main bathroom (which generally he uses) and I did the en-suite (my bathroom). I was knackered and sweaty after doing the hoovering and, after a shower, still needed to go to the shops. At 5.45pm, we left what was not done and took the bins out on our way for the shopping. Here’s what we bought, with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
2 cartons tomato puree 29.90
Peanut butter 69.95
Total spent 99.95 lira (£2.25)

Yamun Bufe 2
1 Salt & Vinegar crisps 45.00
1 Rituel Red wine 210.00
1 Isabey White wine 220.00
Total spent 475.00 lira (£10.72)

We were now ready for our Gin Night. It was Captain Caveman’s first one and the first at our place, the last one had been at Jamie’s. We had pumpkin and vegetable homemade soup with fresh bread for dinner and had poured a whiskey when the guests started to arrive. We had a lovely night, despite our apartment only just fitting everyone in, but at least it was cozy and a good laugh. Julia brought Coco & Bebe (her dogs) who are so lovely and it was the first time Captain Caveman had met them. Jamie mentioned a friend in the British Virgin Islands and I asked if she might know my friend, Kev. It turned out Lisa and Kev were meeting tomorrow for a beach day in the BVI – what a small world! It wasn’t a particularly wild night, although I did manage to drink about a bottle of wine to myself and ate some crisps as a treat. I went to bed about 1am, after Captain Caveman had already fallen asleep.

Dalyan – 30th October

Captain Caveman had decided to go for a reccy for his Sunday Walks on Wednesday 30th October. I’d like to have thought that he had taken the hint that he was cheesing me off by lolling about playing Bridge in a horizontal fashion, but I doubt it! After my cup of tea in bed, I took my measurements and got on the home scales. My bust had stayed the same, my waist was now -1cm beneath my target but my hips had put on 2cm. The home scales showed that I had lost 1.2kg (2.6lb) since last week which was really good news but I know, recently, Carol’s scales at Fat Club had not been as kind.
I made myself a vegetarian pho for breakfast then did my Turkish homework before I had to go to the lesson at 11.30am. This week we were having the lesson at Ela’s Kitchen but we didn’t know until last minute that Lukka had closed. The smell of the breakfasts was amazing and I wanted to get a nice cup of Yorkshire tea but I hadn’t taken enough money with me – I’d know for the next time! Instead I had a soda water. I like it at Ela’s for having a Turkish lesson as it is easier to hear Sioned, our teacher, as it’s a quiet spot.

I did a quick bit of work and ate a banana before it was time to go to Fat Club at lunch. As expected, Carol’s scales were not as kind. I had lost only 0.8kg (1.7lb) but it was still a loss and I was pleased. Captain Caveman had not yet joined the Fat Club but he was certainly following the plan for meals. He’d only lost 100g this week but 2kg over the last 3 weeks. It was a little disconcerting that he had lost 0.5kg more than me in 3 weeks without trying. I didn’t stay long at the group today as I had a video call booked in with the Resort Experts Sales Manager at 4pm, but I did quickly call in to the supermarket as we needed some cheese. Here’s what I ended up buying as a bit of a treat, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
1 Bounty chocolate bar 34.90
Cheddar cheese 139.95
2 x 400g 7% fat beef mince 479.90
Total spent 654.75 lira (£14.75)

I’d gone a bit mad buying mince but it’s not too often that they have the lower fat one and I had suggested my parents come round for dinner one night, when they were available. Today they had gone to Ortaca and they were going to Babadağ either tomorrow or Friday, so maybe at the weekend. They were going to let me know when they had a free evening as their social calendar was pretty full.
My video call went well and the Sales Manager is loads of fun plus he knows what he is doing. He lives in Benidorm and has been there for over 30 years, which was good to know for any of my friends and potential customers who fancied a bit of Costa Blanca.
The team meeting was at 8pm that night, too, so I was very busy today. Captain Caveman came home, asked how I had done at Fat Club and told me he was taking me out for a glass of wine (with cheese) at Retro bar. It’s only round the corner from us and was closing for the winter this weekend. I grabbed a fleece, as the evenings were getting cooler, and off we popped. Retro Bar was really lovely and the wine and cheese went down well at only 100 lira (£2.25) each. We rushed back for the team meeting only for me to have got the time wrong as the UK and Spain had put their clocks back at the weekend, while Turkey keeps them the same all year. We could have had another drink at Retro, but at least I was home and we were only having leftover curry and saag aloo for dinner with steamed rice.