Wednesday 22nd November turned out to be quite a good day, despite the rain. As I wasn’t at home, I couldn’t have a cheeky weigh so I just did my measurements; no change to my bust and 1cm off both waist and hips. I’d had 265 syns this week so it was a bit of a 50/50 chance as to whether that would show a loss on Carol’s scales at Fat Club. Most of the day was spent with Norman, Edna and Captain Caveman (who was playing Bridge on his phone). The selfie taking with the dogs was proving a challenge as Norman didn’t want to but Edna was taking it too far now. I made lentil soup in the slow cooker using Carol’s trusty recipe but without the chilli. It turned out quite thick but using Jamie’s stick blender was great. I definitely needed to get myself one as it makes such a difference to the soups. Fat Club went well with a loss of 0.4kg (0.9lb) so I was pleased about that.
In the evening we went to meet our next lot of Australians, who had come from Vietnam to visit Turkey during the winter season. Veronika, Ben, Bich and the 2 boys were in Dalyan for a short stay and had been in Capadoccia. Caroline had made it there but they unfortunately didn’t get to meet as, on day one, Caroline had a knee injury and had to fly back to Vietnam. The Le Mitchell family, who we know from Phong Nha Farmstay and Victory Road Villas back in Phong Nha, were checked in to the Smyrna hotel and met us at the restaurant opposite, M-Eyhane, for dinner at 7pm. My parents also joined us as they hadn’t seen our friends for quite some time. We all ordered a mixture of starters and mains and, as is usual with a group of 9, Dad ordered the wrong thing and didn’t enjoy his main course. It didn’t help that there was a power cut and we had to eat by our phone torches but Dad has trouble seeing his food anyway. The white wine was very good and went down well as it was only 100 lira (£2.82) for a decent measure! It was great to see everyone and hear about how much they had been enjoying Turkey so far. After saying goodnight, my parents, Captain Caveman and I had a quick drink in Cafe Ivy. We had to get back for the dogs so I wasn’t up for a late one, however, my parents got talking to an English couple and didn’t leave until way past midnight. It had been 5 weeks since we had all arrived back in Dalyan and it was good to see my parents making the most of their holiday.
On Monday 20th November I had no work, because I’d worked 16 hours instead of 8 when my hours were first reduced. It wasn’t ideal but was better than not getting paid for what I had worked. It was nice to have the week off work but with hardly any spare cash to spend it was a bit limited. I was very conscious that what money I did have I would need to ration. I had bread with cheese spread, a cup of Tetley’s tea and a couple of tangerines for breakfast. Captain Caveman had gone Dogging today and my parents popped round to see me and the dogs for a cup of tea and a biscuit. For lunch I had mushroom pasta and I made a chicken curry for dinner, which we had with a bottle of red wine – on a Monday!
On Tuesday 21st November Captain Caveman went to Bridge club, I had one of my favourite breakfasts; vegetable and egg fried rice. Of course, I was still using that bloody cabbage which Caroline had suggested I buy. For lunch we had a feta cheese salad and then we went shopping to top up our provisions while we were at Jamie’s for another week. Here’s what we bought with prices in lira;
It was the most we had spent on a single shop in quite a while as we decided to buy cheese and beef. Both are expensive but I fancied making a lasagne later in the week as a bit of a treat. We also bought 2 more bottles of Rituel red wine while it was on offer and a lightbulb for our kitchen. Things weren’t so bad that I’d had to give up booze, just yet!
For dinner Captain Caveman made spaghetti carbonara and I refrained from having any alcohol as it was weigh day tomorrow and I wanted to keep the syns below 300 for the week. Edna provided the evening’s entertainment when she brought her teddy to play fetch with Captain Caveman. She was reluctant to bring it back at first but she soon got in to it and we all played for ages, while Norman refereed from the comfort of the sofa.
I cycled over to Mark and Kate’s place on the morning of Thursday 16th November to feed the cats. There were usually 6 but last night only 4 had come for food. Today there were still only 4, one of the babies and Kylie were missing. I put the food out, gave them some attention and then took some photos of the scenery as it was still flooded but looked beautiful. Captain Caveman had gone Bumming when I returned home, so I had my breakfast of cheese spread on wholemeal toast and a cup of Yorkshire tea. For lunch I just had fruit as I was doing my best to have a low syn day today. Captain Caveman was doing dinner so I went a bit early to feed the cats, this time only 3 were there when I arrived; Bubble, Squeak and Kylie were missing. I left enough food out for when they returned which was handy as Squeak showed up as I was leaving. She was over at the other side of the flooded road but I coaxed her over and off she ran to get her dinner. We had a really nice chilled evening with sucuk (Turkish cured sausage) and vegetable pasta for dinner and an early night.
On Friday 17th November Jamie was off to England for 12 days so Captain Caveman and I were moving in to his villa to look after Norman and Edna. Before that, I had a bit of cat drama; Kate and her birthday entourage were heading back from Jiva Beach this afternoon so it was my last time of feeding her cats. When I arrived there was a bit of a surprise as the box that all the wet and dry food had been stored in, was on the garden. The cats had obviously worked together to feed themselves when I’d been 45 minutes late and had ransacked the stash. I took photos to send to Kate, who later replied to say it wouldn’t have been her cats who did it and maybe a stray dog did! One of the babies had a scratched nose and Casha was trying to tell me who was to blame! For breakfast I was a bit naughty and had wholemeal toast with kaymak and honey on which wasted 8 syns. I went over to Jamie’s where Norman and Edna were pleased to see me and were looking neatly groomed. The sun was shining so I was sat outside on the patio when Captain Caveman arrived from his Bridge club. I’d browned some sausages (Heck ones from the UK) so we had one in a wrap with onions, ketchup and mustard, more syns! Edna had bought me a couple of bottles of wine with the condition that she got a little bit of it so we had a drink before popping to the shops. Here’s what we bought with prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket Fat free yoghurt 22.50 Cherry juice 29.00 Hummus 40.75 15 eggs 41.75 Total spent 133.50 lira (£3.76)
Yaman Büfe 2 bottles of wine 270 lira (£7.61)
The exchange rate had increased yet again and was now 35.5 Turkish lira to 1 English pound. Fine for people with English money but a nightmare for Turks. For dinner I’d made a sausage casserole which we had with the rest of the wine and we stayed in watching TV until gone midnight, cuddling the dogs.
On Thursday 9th November Captain Caveman brought me a Yorkshire tea in bed and I had a rare lay in. He was off Bumming with the Riverbums until lunch time so I had a leisurely start to the day. As Caroline had stayed in a hotel last night and was leaving today, I stripped her bed, cleaned her room and bathroom. She had more or less packed her stuff so her departure looked imminent. I cleaned the rest of the house too, when Captain Caveman returned I was a hot sweaty mess, tired from cleaning, he pointed out that I had missed a bit. He then moaned that he had to clean the shower drain in the ensuite bathroom which I hadn’t done properly! In the afternoon, Caroline sent a message to see if Captain Caveman and I would like to meet her for a beer and join them for dinner tonight. We had a beer at the Yağmur hotel, which is really lovely and has great river views, while Caroline told us of her plans! She would be staying one more night at the hotel and then tomorrow she would leave for a road trip. She planned to send the barely used motorbike back and the company in Marmaris said they would come to collect it. She’d been here 10 days already and her idea to take in Turkey and all it’s famous sights kept getting delayed further. Caroline decided to mark the occasion of her decision making with a drink and asked us where we should go. I suggested we try Luz, a nearby Mexican place which we’d not been to yet. I’m so glad we went to Luz, it was fantastic. More expensive than other Dalyan places but classy. Caroline was paying but I tried not to take advantage too much; I ordered a hibiscus margarita which was so good and 290 lira (£8.53), Captain Caveman had a Bloody Maria at 270 lira (£7.94). They were easily the best drinks we had tasted in Dalyan and when Caroline insisted on another round we found it impossible to decline. She ordered a cheese fondu and some nachos as nibbles which were amazing. Of course, I ended up accidentally eating some chillies and felt unwell. The toilets at Luz are really nicely decorated and had nice toiletries.
In the evening, Caroline invited us to join them at Balıkçım, which was Caroline’s favourite place where her and Captain Caveman had eaten on the first night of her visit. I don’t tend to eat there as I don’t like fish but Captain Caveman loves it. Everyone shared octopus and fish, I had a bit of the shared mezes (the ones without fish or chillies) and plenty of bread. We had half a litre of rakı between us too, which went down rather well. Here’s the prices of what we had at Balıkçım; 5 meze dishes 450 Octopus 400 Fish with chips & salad 510 50cl rakı 800 2 bottles of water 60 Total cost 2220 lira (£65.29)
The evening wasn’t cheap and I did well on my diet, more because of not being able to eat most of the dishes than good choices. It had been a very pleasant afternoon and evening.
Friday 10th November started off with some bad news; I was meant to be getting paid today but my boss had let me know that, due to some banking changes, it would be delayed by 4 days. Not one to let having very little money worry me, I soldiered on! Caroline was up for afternoon drinking and I was quite glad of the distraction of her company. Captain Caveman was back from Bridge and the 3 of us cracked open the rosé wine from the fridge. The highlight of the afternoon was Caroline’s bang-on pouring out of the bottle between the 3 of us. I said I’d cook for Caroline, Kaan, Captain Caveman and I and made an enchiladas type of dinner from various left overs and some lavaş wraps. It was a good night and we were merry by 8pm.
Captain Caveman had took himself off on a bicycle ride to Gökbel on the morning of Saturday 11th November. He was keen to see how well the bike could do as he fancied doing more cycling while in Dalyan. Caroline was sorting the motorbike collection and was liaising with Tez for the guys from Marmaris to come to collect it. She was also talking of leaving after the weekend. I had the pleasure of doing the weekly shopping at the market and supermarket. With not getting paid on time it was going to be a bit tight but I would be as frugal as I could be. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira.
The cabbage I bought at the market was huge but Caroline had said she had a great cabbage recipe that she would do for us. I thought I’d done really well in Migros and even got a 50 lira (£1.47) cash discount on my Migros card. I decided not to buy any meat unless it was on offer and we did have some in the freezer so I could wait until after pay day for the more expensive items. I bumped in to my parents in Migros who were also trying to stock up before the predicted rain came that afternoon. It looked like another couple of days/nights of staying home. While I’d be gone, Caroline had texted to see if she could join me at the market to help carry things, I’d not got WiFi so I didn’t see her message until I walked near Jik’s. I said I’d see her back home for some lunch with Captain Caveman. When I got back, she’d gone out for lunch at Çağrı so I put the shopping away and tidied up.
Captain Caveman returned and seemed in a good mood, he was concerned the weather was going to be too bad to go out and that I didn’t get everything on the shopping list. He’d also spotted some bargains that we needed to get while they had offers on. We went back to the shops and bought the following;
A101 Supermarket Mandarins 5.20 Wholemeal bread 14.00 Pears 14.65 Apples 32.00 Clotted cream 47.50 Cheese 55.50 Kitchen roll 149.90 Total spent 318.75 lira (£9.38)
Migros Supermarket 1kg red lentils 22.50 4 X 500g bags of dried pasta 30.00 1 jar peanut butter 45.90 Total spent 98.40 (£2.89)
We really didn’t need the kaymak (Turkish clotted cream) but Captain Caveman loves it. The kitchen roll had a sign on saying it was on offer but it wasn’t and it turned out to be scented. Still, it was only £4.40 for quite a few rolls so wasn’t too bad. Everything on our second Migros visit was on offer so I was happy with that. I messaged Caroline to say we were off to Kefal tea gardens, by the river, to meet our friend Adele and that she was welcome to join us. She didn’t respond or come to join us so she must’ve been busy. At the tea gardens we chatted with Adele and had food and drink. As it’s a council run cafe, the prices are really good, here’s what we paid; 1 Turkish tea 10.00 2 cheese toasties 90.00 2 Efes Malt beers 150.00 1 white wine 100.00 Total spent 350.00 lira (£10.29)
It was a cheap and cheerful lunch which we all enjoyed, especially as we saw a turtle in the river as we sat and chatted. It was too quick for me to get any photos though. By the time we got home the rain was here, Caroline’s plans for a Saturday night out were scuppered as I told her we were staying in tonight. Captain Caveman made pasta which is one of his go-to meals – simple but tasty.
I cracked on with work on Tuesday 7th November and had already done over an hour’s work by the time Captain Caveman left for Bridge. For lunch I had more left over veggie curry with egg fried rice. I decided, as I’d lost quite a bit of weight (just over a stone), I’d have a sort out of my clothes that were too big and either sell them or put them in the charity bag. As I my earnings had reduced, but with Captain Caveman here and friends visiting, I could do with some extra beer money to supplement my income. When Captain Caveman got home he went to fetch a water refill then made a sandwich. Just as we were deciding what to cook for dinner, Caroline messaged to say she was on her way back from Göcek and would meet us at Tez bar for sundowners and would like to go out for a meal tonight. We were up for that, as it was her treat and to say goodbye. I did say she would miss sunset but we agreed to meet at Tez bar. My parents love a Tez-pat sundowner so they were up for it and we then made our way over to Okyanus for dinner. We shared some amazing starters of samphire, halloumi, stuffed mushrooms, carrot dip, beetroot, bread and Dad had soup. For mains, Captain Caveman and Caroline both had stuffed veggie dishes, Dad ordered casserole, Mom a peppered steak and I had a chicken shish. We had a great meal and, as the portions were generous, we took quite a bit of it home. By the end of the night Caroline had found a stray cat to pet and we were all ready for bed. I was particularly tired and I wanted to be up early for work tomorrow, so that I’d be finished in time for Fat Club.
It was weigh day on Wednesday 8th November and I was not feeling optimistic at all. I love going to the Fat Club group as the members are very supportive, however, when you know you’ve not really made as much of an effort as you intended it can feel a bit like playing at it. I got on the scales at home and took my measurements to find I’d put on 0.5kg (1.1lb), I’d put 1cm on my bust and hips but my waist remained the same. I worked until 12.30pm then had finished for the week, Caroline was not at home and Captain Caveman had gone on his Sunday’s postponed walk. I don’t mind saying it was bliss to have no interruptions as I made myself beans on toast for brunch with a nice cup of Yorkshire tea. I went through our book stash to see which I could swap or lend Dad then I went through more clothes to donate or sell. I sorted out a few Slimming World recipes for future use, wondering what we might have for dinner tonight. Unfortunately, Fat Club was cancelled due to Carol being sick so Captain Caveman suggested a bit of a walk for some fresh air. That evening he decided he would make dinner and did airfryer quesadillas. He did set fire to an airfryer liner when he put it in the airfryer loose and to heat up. It was a good job I have a sensitive nose to smell the burning but, of course, he didn’t listen when I interfered. We were going to watch Netflix and chill but it was more like choose something to snore to. The weather was still good and looked to be for another couple of days at least – perfect weather for Caroline’s motorbiking trip, which had been postponed for a couple more days.
It wasn’t raining when we woke up on Sunday 5th November but the forecast was very bad. Captain Caveman had to postpone the Sunday walk this week and by 10.20am there were dark clouds forming. I’d invited my parents and Kaan to join Captain Caveman, Caroline and I for a Sunday dinner around 5pm that evening. Caroline had a banana for breakfast, Captain Caveman cooked himself a menemen style meal (tomato and eggs) and I had toast. It started to rain heavily and it looked like no one was going anywhere. I got on with the preparation for our Sunday roast, I cooked the whole chicken, roast potatoes, carrots, leeks and Yorkshire puddings. I messaged Mom to bring the gravy as I realised I had none in. Kaan brought a bottle of red wine and some rakı, my parents brought a bottle of white wine and some beers. Caroline had already started us on the gin with rather ample measures! The meal was nice but I didn’t take any photos, mainly as I was too busy being the hostess with the mostest. Conversation was mainly about Caroline’s forthcoming trip to see the archaeological ruins in the East of Turkey. Kaan stressed his concern of her riding all that way alone as a woman but she is a strong, independent woman. I went on to wine and tried to limit my booze, my parents were the first to leave and Captain Caveman was keeping up with Caroline on the gin. Kaan doesn’t drink much and was taking it easy on the rakı. It was a good job as once a litre of gin had been polished off Captain Caveman and Caroline were keen to move on to the rakı. I was taking it easy as I was scheduled to work tomorrow, talk of Caroline leaving around 10am was fleetingly mentioned but I doubted that would be a good idea. By the end of the evening, I had gone to bed after Captain Caveman started being argumentative (well, more than usual) and I couldn’t be bothered with it.
I did the right thing by moving my working day from Monday 6th November to split it between Tuesday and Wednesday. Captain Caveman had gone dogging so I spent time with Caroline. She had decided she would postpone her motorbike adventure to Wednesday but she was going to go on a couple of outings in the meantime. She said she doesn’t like to plan too much and would rather go with the flow. I had a couple of Slimming World muffins, strawberries and some cherry juice for brunch then managed a bit of blogging while Caroline got ready to go out for the afternoon. Captain Caveman arrived back home from the dog shelter, showered, then went to the shop for essentials. Here’s the info:
That night Captain Caveman and I had an impromptu night in on our own as Caroline had been asked out on a date. We watched a bit of Netflix and had leftover veggie curry with steamed rice for dinner.
I was surprised to learn it was Caroline’s birthday on Wednesday 1st November. Not only had she arrived a week earlier than we thought she would, but I would not get paid for 10 days and even then it was only half the pay I had planned for. Ironically, we had a very full fridge, freezer and cupboards at home as I was expecting not to be going out too much in the lead up to our friend’s visit. I didn’t hear from Captain Caveman or Caroline first thing as I let the dogs out then fed them and made a cup of tea. Norman was cute when I got my cuppa as he wanted to go upstairs ‘back to bobos’. We sat on the sofa for a bit of an extra sleep until it was time to go for a walk. I did my measurements to find my bust was the same but I’d lost 4cm from my waist and 3cm from my hips. This looked promising for Carol’s scales at Fat Club later. I worked in the morning and then I made my taster session food for Fat Club. I made the flour-less syn free muffins which look terrible but taste quite nice. Captain Caveman popped round and he’d been out with Caroline last night for drinks then food. Captain Caveman was very hung over and there was still no word from Caroline. I suggested we go to one of our favourite restaurants tonight for Caroline’s birthday and invited my parents too. It turns out that Captain Caveman and Caroline had been drinking at Bistro Blue last night but we would still go again tonight for an impromptu birthday meal. I left Jamie’s place and the pooches to go to Fat Club. I was disappointed to only have lost 0.1kg (0.2lb) but a loss is a loss, as they say at Fat Club. I couldn’t share the lentil soup that Carol made or the fritters by Janice, as they had chillies in but I did get the recipes to make my own without the heat. I couldn’t eat the fishy offering either but I did try and I enjoyed the mushroom paté as well as the hummus. My berry and banana ‘muffins’ were tried and people agreed they weren’t quite as terrible as they sounded or looked. Jamie was back by tea time and he’d unfortunately inherited a street dog on his complex who some holiday makers had brought home. He asked me to take the dog back to bar street as they aren’t allowed to have them wandering around the complex. I did, and the dog seemed genuinely happy to get back to his fellow pooches for the night. That evening, Captain Caveman had said he would pay for our meal so I didn’t even take my purse to Bistro Blue or Tez bar, where we started the birthday celebrations. My parents danced with some of the other Tez-pats to ‘Sweet Caroline’ as a thoughtful birthday treat for our friend. Caroline was happy to meet Tez who was going to help her organise a motorbike for her adventure tours to Şanlıurfa and Cappadocia next week. We had some amazing food at Bistro Blue although I noticed Caroline didn’t eat all of her’s. She said she felt unwell so she left before we had finished our drinks. When we came to pay Captain Caveman didn’t have enough on his card and I hadn’t brought any way of paying with me so we had to borrow the money from my parents. It was 1,740 lira including wine, which was just over £50 and not an expense I had budgeted for this week. The food and service had been great and I’d really enjoyed it but we now needed to make sure we stayed in to eat what we had at home.
While Captain Caveman went Bumming on Thursday 2nd November, Caroline had a lay in. I popped to the shops for sanitary towels and milk which cost a total of 36.75 lira (£1.08). Surprisingly, milk was more expensive than sanitary towels in Dalyan and it’s not usual or easy to find tampons in Dalyan supermarkets – they can be purchased at the pharmacy. When Caroline got up she had a banana for breakfast as she doesn’t eat breakfast and then went to ask Tez about hiring the motorbike. She was heading over to see the famous archaeological sights at Göbeklitepe, Şanlıurfa, and wanted to do it on a big motorbike. Both Captain Caveman and I do like to plan things but Caroline had said she was much more of a non-planning type of traveller. Her mission on this trip was to ‘search for people’s truth’ which I was sure that I fully understood. Captain Caveman and I had a walk to the water company to get his deposit back from when he had the water in his name, unfortunately they didn’t understand our English or my Google translated Turkish, which was convenient for them! At 2.30pm Captain Caveman and I met up with Caroline at Kaunos tea gardens where I had a double çay and a chicken döner, Caroline a juice and a chicken döner and Captain Caveman had an Efes beer and a mixed toasted sandwich. I paid the 305 lira (£8.97) but I did say we would be eating in tonight as we were on a budget and I was meant to be on a diet! My words fell on deaf ears as we bumped in to Kaan at Tequila Bar and joined him for a drink, sat in the sun. Captain Caveman and I just had beer but Caroline, who was on her holidays, had a couple of Aperol Spritzes. Another stray dog or two joined us, one was particularly cute but a bit smelly. When the sun went in, Caroline decided she needed some white tops ready for her motorbiking adventure. We popped to the shop where she picked up a couple of t-shirts/sweatshirts. On the way home we stopped at Tez bar to finalise the bike arrangements for tomorrow and for Captain Caveman and Caroline to have a beer.
We had a nice relaxing day on Sunday 29th October. Captain Caveman got his bicycle wheel fixed for 135 lira (£3.96) which he was pleased about. We shared a sausage roll and a cheese & onion roll each for breakfast and both agreed they were lovely. For lunch I had cheese spread and bread but I decided to make a vegetable curry in the slow cooker for dinner. While I was chopping the veg, Captain Caveman got a call from our friend Caroline. We know her from Phong Nha, in Vietnam, she lives in Hoi An now and is Australian but had been in Greece for the last month. Caroline had made loose plans to see us in Rhodes but they never materialised so she would like to come and visit us in Dalyan…. tomorrow! Her flight would land in Dalaman airport at 3pm so it was all systems go to make up the spare bed and get the house clean for our friend’s arrival. We had the veggie curry with steamed rice which was delicious and, of course, we had some spare. We had a few grapes after and wondered how long a visit to Dalyan Caroline was planning.
I worked from 8am until 5pm on Monday 30th October and this would be my last week of working 16 hours. I’d already done some extra from last week so it meant I’d definitely be finished by Tuesday. I had Yorkshire tea and buttered wholemeal toast for breakfast. Captain Caveman went dogging, he likes to walk the dogs at the dog shelter so sometimes he goes up there to help out. He was back for lunch so we had leftover cauliflower mac and cheese. As we knew Caroline was arriving this afternoon, we asked the taxi to take her to Lukka bar, where Captain Caveman would go to meet her. I would finish working and then join them. As I was getting changed to go meet Caroline and Captain Caveman, I saw a post on Facebook reporting a dog that had turned up at someone’s house in Dalyan. It looked similar to Debbie (Darling)’s Brinny but had a different collar on. I messaged Debbie (Darling) who said it was Brinny’s sister, owned by a Turkish man. I also had a message from Kelly, back in the UK, the girls were hoping to be able to book their holiday to Rhodes for next September and had a few questions. It was a long way off but I hoped I’d be able to join them for a holiday. I met Caroline and Captain Caveman at Lukka bar, she looked well and was dressed for winter despite the warm weather in Dalyan. We had a beer together and she told us a bit about her trip to Greece and Sweden. We couldn’t sit about as we had a night out to get to so it was back home for curry before heading out to Sofra bar. The Bengisu Boys were playing a gig and they are great musicians so it turned in to a good night. By 10pm both Captain Caveman and I were on the Sofra ‘dancefloor’ giving it what-for! Caroline was too cool for dancing with the ‘olds’ but was testing out the drink menu and being acquainted with our friends. VLS arrived and I did a karaoke song with her. It was awful and I could see that Şükrü would never let me put in another request! By 11.30pm Brinny’s sister, the escaped dog, had found us and was keeping us company. The walk home, at just gone midnight, involved several stray dogs escorting us home and Caroline tried not to get attached, as she loves dogs.
On Tuesday 31st October Captain Caveman went off to Bridge so that I could work in peace, leaving Caroline with me. I had plans at lunch time to go over to Jamie’s as I was looking after his cute little dogs, Norman and Edna, for a few days. It turned out I’d got confused about the amount of hours I needed to work this week as my boss only wanted me to do 8 per week with immediate affect as from last week, so I’d already worked them. It was going to be incredibly tight for money for the next couple of months so it’s a good job we don’t do Christmas presents or celebrate Christmas out here, in Turkey. I left Caroline to her own devices following a discussion about the use of psilocybin mushrooms for trauma. I packed a bag and headed over to Jamie’s, taking my lunch with me. Around 1.15pm I was just getting a nice feta cheese salad ready to eat when Captain Caveman arrived at Jamie’s. He was meant to have been going back home to see Caroline for lunch but shared my salad. I sent him over to look after our guest with instructions to keep in touch while I looked after Norman and Edna. I didn’t see or hear from Captain Caveman or Caroline again that evening so I had a lovely quiet one with a leftover chicken and veggie curry. I obviously stayed over at Jamie’s and the pooches wanted to come upstairs to bed with me. I told them they had to sleep in their own bed downstairs and gave them a kiss. I didn’t have any alcohol, it was Fat Club tomorrow and I was only on 273 syns for the week. The Fat Club meeting tomorrow had a taster session that we all had to take something for so I’d brought over my ingredients to make something in the morning.
On Friday 27th October I had a fruit salad for breakfast and Captain Caveman had gone to Bridge when I got logged on to the laptop. I’d already done my hours for this week but my boss wanted a video call. Steve explained that he only needed me to work half as much up until the end of the year. I was also going to have to finish work after the week commencing 18th December to have Christmas and New Year off. We agreed I’d work my usual hours until the end of this month and then half the hours for the next 6 weeks after that. Obviously, I was a bit disappointed, especially as I need to earn a certain amount to maintain my residency that I’d recently paid so much to get. When Captain Caveman got back we both went food shopping and here’s what we bought:
A101 Supermarket 1l cherry juice 32.00 lira (£0.94)
Migros Supermarket 1 bag of porridge oats 4.25 Cheese biscuits 9.00 Peanut butter 65.90 Total spent 79.15 lira (£2.33)
I just had wholemeal toast for lunch as I wasn’t hungry and it would soon be dinner time. We were also hosting a small cheese and wine evening at our apartment for my parents, Jamie, and Drew. Today was pay day and we’d been invited to a party at Rehab bar to say bye to a bloke who neither of us knew who looks after cats. Kate was hosting and wanted us to attend but with reduced work afoot, it was time to decline non-essential outings and frivolities – I needed to save the pennies! For dinner we had chicken köfte with potato wedges and vegetables before getting ready to entertain our guests. My parents arrived first and we got chatting, then Jamie and Drew arrived with Börek (Turkish pastries with cheese in) – the diet was out of the window once again! We had a good night with plenty of wine and lots of laughs, where we all enjoyed ourselves.
It was market day on Saturday 28th October so, after a cup of Yorkshire tea in bed, we got ready for a shopping trip. We didn’t need too much this week but here’s what we bought:
Stall 1 Lettuce, pumpkin, red peppers and tomatoes 70 lira (£2.06)
Stall 2 Grapes 20 lira (£0.59)
Stall 3 5 bananas 45 lira (£1.32)
Total market spend 135 lira (£3.97).
When we got back, I had grapes for breakfast as Kate was on her way over. She had bought some cat food from an online company but when it came, it was not correct and she needed to send it back and complain. That took longer than expected and still couldn’t be submitted so she went home a bit stressed. In the afternoon I went over to Vanessa’s where she’d just made sausage rolls and cheese and onion rolls. We ate some and drank white wine & soda while catching up on all the comings and goings of life. Later, we encouraged Kate to join us and she cycled over. It was a lovely afternoon and I didn’t get in until pretty late, with spare sausage rolls to take home too. I left Vanessa getting on the back of her friend’s mobility scooter and heading for a night in Rodrigo’s. I made a Slimming World friendly cauliflower mac and cheese for dinner using pasta, cauliflower, pumpkin, bacon, garlic, yoghurt, eggs, paprika and thyme. It was surprisingly good and we both enjoyed it.
On Monday 16th October it was business as usual in Dalyan. I needed to get back in to healthy eating, cutting down on the alcohol and, if I wanted to hit my weight target by the end of the year, do it seriously. Captain Caveman and I were now both in Dalyan for the rest of the year and I was really looking forward to us spending 11 weeks together. My parents were also going to be in Dalyan for the rest of the year which was great but I hoped they wouldn’t get bored in the winter. We also needed to save some money as we had some scheduled visits from friends in the coming weeks. We’d had a great holiday but now it was back to work. My first job was to get weighed so that I knew how much damage I’d done and what I needed to lose still. Amazingly, I was the same weight as I was 12 days ago and 1kg lighter than on Steve and Michelle’s scales 5 days ago – I wasn’t as concerned about facing Carol’s scales on Wednesday now. The next job was to go to the bank and check the finances, they had taken quite a bruising and it was time to cut back for a few weeks now. While I cracked on with a day’s work, Captain Caveman was also getting back in to his routine and took himself off dogging followed by a bridge session with John. For dinner, Captain Caveman made a simple, diet friendly and tasty chicken and veg pasta. It was another alcohol free night for me as I wanted to be healthier and didn’t want to put any weight back on before Wednesday’s Fat Club.
I worked from 9.30am to 5.45pm on Tuesday 17th October and, although I’d done my hours for this week I decided i would make up for having a shorter week last week. I was still trying hard to get back in to a healthier lifestyle and eating plan so I had made a chicken casserole in the slow cooker which I did with airfryer potatoes for dinner. I’d not been writing down my syns but I decided that I would get back in to that habit tomorrow after my Fat Club weigh-in. We opened a bottle of rosé wine from the fridge and shared that with our very tasty and syn free dinner.
On Wednesday 18th October I was definitely getting back in to my Slimming World regime. I started the day with a breakfast of overnight oats, made with quark and frozen raspberries, and a cup of Yorkshire tea. I got weighed on the home scales and had lost 0.95kg (2lb) since Monday! My measurements showed I’d lost 1cm from my bust but put 3cm on my waist and hips. I was now at the target measurement for my bust but I still needed to lose 7cm from my waist and 6cm from my hips. I was hoping to get that done before the end of the year if I could stay motivated and stick to my goals. I had a light lunch of random stuff from the fridge; turkey, sun-dried tomato, olives, gherkins, blue cheese, and salami in a wrap and we would be having the same as yesterday for dinner. As I was working a bit extra this week, I only had time to nip in to the Fat Club meeting and get weighed. I was so pleased to have lost 0.4kg (0.9lb) on Carol’s scales, as I really wasn’t expecting it to be a good result. On the way home from getting weighed, I called in to Migros supermarket where I picked up potatoes and fat free yogurt for 30.10 lira (89p). Back at home, I worked for another couple of hours before having our leftover chicken casserole with airfryer potatoes for dinner. There was heavy rain forecast, despite it being a decent temperature, so I decided to bring the lounging chair and foot stool from the balcony in to the living room. Captain Caveman was straight in it and I thought I might live to regret this decision as he now had a handy place to sit and play bridge all day on his phone! With dinner we opened a bottle of red wine which we had in the wine rack for just over a year. We had brought it back from Datça Vineyard when we went last year for my parents’ anniversary. I’m not sure which of us was the most impressed that I’d not drunk it. We watched a bit of Netflix and treated ourselves to cheese and crackers so my syns for today were 34, more than double my daily allowance. This was not the best of starts and tomorrow was likely to prove somewhat difficult as we had an exciting day planned.
Not only was Saturday 14th October the last full day and night of our Rhodes holiday, but it was also Ma & Pa’s wedding anniversary. We’d not been able to celebrate it properly for one reason or another these last few years so I’d decided it would be lovely to do something special. Nothing gets past my Mom, though, so I had to hatch a plan that everyone but my parents were in on. Yara Yachting were booked for a day’s private boat trip and I’d invited Steve and Michelle to join my parents, Captain Caveman and I. I told my parents that we were going to meet Steve and Michelle at Cuckoo’s Nest for coffee at 9.30am, which was quite early. I pretended it was the only time Steve and Michelle could fit us in with work so we could all go to the beach. Everyone had a coffee and some had pastries (bought from the bakery) at Cuckoo’s Nest, I didn’t as I knew I’d be sailing. When the Yara Yachting car came to pick us up in Lardos Square I lied and said it must be a friend of Steve and Michelle’s, giving us a lift in the hot sun to save us walking. Even when we got to Kiotari Beach they were none the wiser and my Mom started looking for which sunbeds we might want to sit on. I went to pay for the trip while Captain Caveman kept my parents from rolling out a towel, then I told them. My Mom was so surprised that she hugged and thanked everyone for their anniversary surprise. We had to get a small tender to the yacht in 2 trips, Captain Caveman escorted my parents so they could safely be first on to the yacht. I followed with Steve and Michelle and, once on board, the 2 captains gave us a bit of information while we got seated. My parents were given 3 choices of where they wanted to sail to and they chose Hawaii Beach, aka Pink Floyd beach. By 10am we were on our way for a private all day tour with just the 6 of us and the 2 captains – how exciting. The trip ran from 10am to 4pm with all food and drink (alcohol) included. I’m surprised we lasted until gone 11am before I asked if we could pop some fizz. The crew were lovely, amusing and one was a great story teller. We were also asked if we wanted to sail the boat, so my Mom had a go and was quite good. Captain Caveman, who has experience, followed with a go and really loved it so we left him to it. I was glad that he’d worn his Masto Designs stork patterned shirt too as he looked the part and I got lots of photos of him, posing. Even though I once sailed a speed boat down the Saigon river, after a gin tasting event, I decided I wouldn’t do that again and risk an incident. I was quite happy to indulge in some sparkling Greek Cair wine with my parents, who were still a bit in shock at the surprise. When we stopped for a swim near to Hawaii beach, Steve went off snorkelling while Dad and I braved the cold water. It was rather chilly and my legs were going a bit numb but I knew we might not get another chance to say we’d swam in Pink Floyd’s bay. Ma, Michelle and Captain Caveman were happy to sit on board sipping their drinks while Dad and I attempted to swim round the (fairly big) yacht. Realising we were missing out on the all inclusive drinks was enough of an excuse for us to get out and join the others. Steve returned having seen lots of sea life and even he hadn’t explored this area before, so he was pleased.
Our lunch was amazing, I’d been a little worried that Mom and I wouldn’t enjoy it as we are quite fussy eaters but we both loved it. At one point people went on to beer but I carried on with the fizz mostly and we were all quite merry by the time our day trip came to an end. As us ladies still had full glasses, we sent the 3 men in the first tender while we carried on drinking and laughing. Michelle didn’t seem as drunk as us as I concentrated on getting off the yacht in to the dinghy. I’d been concerned about my parents being able to get off and on but they were better than I was. The boatman on the tender dropped us off on the beach where the guys were waiting for us.
Photo credit – some taken by Mom and Captain Caveman
After a wonderful day of sailing for my parents’ anniversary, the Yara Yachting pick-up service took us back to Lardos Square. I’d envisaged we might go straight back home for showers and to get changed for dinner but Steve suggested a beer in Memories bar and we all sat down. At one point I went off to get a cardigan and put our wet swimmers and towels in the washer to get them done for us leaving tomorrow. We decided we would go for a meal at Savas Restaurant round the corner which started well. We ordered carafes of wine, I don’t remember what Captain Caveman and I ate as Steve had started cutting off bits of his pork and was trying to feed it to my mom and I. Dad’s poor eyesight benefitted him as he was at the other end of the table eating his Pastitsio. I don’t think the restaurant owner and staff were too impressed with the loudness from our table and then, the card machine wasn’t working for any of us to pay. We should all have gone home at that point but a rather merry Steve was insistant on more drinks as I escorted him back over to Memories. Ironically, we would all have some rather hilarious memories of today as we tried our best to keep Steve from getting shots. As things got rather messy it was up to mom to give her excuses to leave. Steve wanted us to stay for more drinking but Mom was having none of it, she wanted to enjoy what was left of their anniversary with Dad. Captain Caveman and I had also had quite our full and wanted to escort my parents back to make sure they didn’t get lost. We all had such a great time for our last day and night in Rhodes but tomorrow we were off back to Turkey!
Captain Caveman, my parents and I were moving locations on Friday 13th October. We had breakfast at London’s Athena hotel and then decided to go for the earlier bus as I had a work meeting with Steve and Michelle back in Lardos. I took half of my sausage sandwich with me as I couldn’t finish it all. Captain Caveman had booked us a traditional greek house for the 4 of us to stay in, not far from Steve and Michelle’s house. The bus from Lindos to Lardos was just €1.80 (£1.54) and took about 20 minutes, as it went via Pefkos. When we got to Lardos, Steve told me to take the afternoon off to enjoy being with my parents, which was really nice of him. We checked in to Animone and it was rather lovely. In the afternoon we had a little walk to Alapou wine store for a quick wine tasting and I bought a bottle of rosé wine, one I’d had before. The wine store is amazing and has so much choice, they even sell beers and spirits for the non-wine drinkers. I paid €36 (£30.87) for the 6 wine tasting glasses of wine and €7.30 (£6.26) for the bottle of wine, before saying our goodbyes. We could quite easily have stayed longer but we had to get back to get ready for tonight’s Greek night in Lardos square. Back at our traditional Greek house, we got ready then shared the rosé wine I bought, it was very nice and refreshing, we also drank all the water from the fridge.
That evening, my parents, Captain Caveman, Steve, Michelle and I were booked in at Valantina’s restaurant in Lardos. It’s one of my favourite places to eat in Rhodes and I wanted my parents to experience it. We all had the sharing starter then all but my parents ordered pork dishes, my Mom had seafood and Dad had a chicken shish. Our pork dishes were fantastic, Mom loved the seafood and the carafes of wine went down well too. The dinner cost €55 (£47.17) per couple, including starters and wine and I really enjoyed it. We also managed a couple of drinks in Cuckoo’s Nest, where we were able to watch the Greek night while clapping along to the dancing and music. Back ‘home’ my parents had the bedroom with the 2 double beds in and we slept up some steps opposite the bathroom and washing machine. Captain Caveman had decided to put the laundry on so it was a bit noisy and I couldn’t sleep through the spin cycle.
The breakfast at Lindos Athena on Thursday 12th October was pretty good and I enjoyed it. My parents sunbathed by the pool, Captain Caveman kept covered up and out of the pool due to his rash. I did a bit of work and organised for Steve and Michelle to come over later on.
When Steve and Michelle arrived they gave my parents a lift down Cardiac Hill, in to Lindos town, while Captain Caveman and I walked. My parents had a look over the edge to the sea, next to the bust of Ionnais Zigdis, a Greek politician. We walked to Mario’s as we were off to introduce my parents to the curry sauce. It was very busy, we ordered drinks and food. Dad had pork with curry sauce which was a normal size but Mom had a huge pork chop. It was so good and we got given free shots from the owner at the end of our meal. After our meal we had a walk through the streets of Lindos, calling at Pals for a drink. We bumped in to an old friend and ex-colleague of mine, Elaine. She was in Rhodes, staying in Pefkos, with her hubby and friends and we had been trying to meet up for a few days. Steve and Michelle had work the next day so couldn’t stay out out but they kindly dropped my parents back off and picked up some luggage to take back with them to Lardos, where we would be going tomorrow. We had a couple of drinks at the bar before going back to our rooms for the last sleep at Lindos Athena. It was a lovely hotel but not one of us had been in the pool which was a shame. We managed to pay our bills for drinks and breakfasts, which came to €135 (£115.81) for Captain Caveman and I on our room for the 2 nights (not including the accommodation). Our last round of drinks for the evening was €36.50 (£31.31). Tomorrow we would be up early and off to Lardos but at least we didn’t have to carry as many bags on the bus.
On Wednesday 11th October Captain Caveman was up and about before me, unpacking his bag. I got so excited when he gave me my 2024 Diary as I’d been wanting (needing) one for ages. As it was a Wednesday it was weigh day but I had no scales, probably a good job considering how many syns I must have had this week! I did do my measurements though and they were as follows: Bust -2cm, Waist +2cm, Hips +1cm.
We checked out of the Kahlua Apartments and made our way to the bus station as we were off to stay in Lindos for a couple of nights. Michelle had recommended the Lindos Athena hotel where my Mom had booked the last two rooms for us. On the way to the bus station we stopped off at a cafe for breakfast. My parents and Captain Caveman ordered omelettes which were lovely but I made the mistake of ordering a cheese and bacon pancake. It came smothered in mayonnaise both inside and on the top and I couldn’t eat it. My parents paid for breakfast, and we walked to the bus station where Captain Caveman had already bought our bus tickets. It was only €5.50 (£4.72) each and took about an hour and 20 minutes. My parents had a big case and a couple of bags between them but it wasn’t too cumbersome to get it on the bus. Captain Caveman and I had 3 bags between us so we all filled the bag area with our luggage.
The journey went well and we got off at Lindos bus station for the short walk to the hotel. When we arrived, we insisted Ma & Pa have the best corner room, with (distant) views of the Acropolis and we took the smaller, but perfectly adequate, double room. Lindos Athena was very nice and, while my parents and Captain Caveman went down to the pool and bar area, I did a bit of work. The internet was good, I used the chest of drawers as a desk but I didn’t work for too long.
We met for a drink at the bar then walked in to Lindos for our evening meal. We called at Lindian House for a pre dinner drink so that my Mom could see the Acropolis lit up from their roof terrace area.
Captain Caveman had chosen a nice rooftop restaurant called Kamariko for dinner and it didn’t disappoint. Dad and I had pork, Captain Caveman had lamb and my Mom had a seafood dish which was massive. We all enjoyed our dinner, Dad particularly enjoyed the complimentary dessert. The cost per couple for the meal was €51.65 (£44.29) including wine. Back at the hotel, we had a nightcap at the bar before bed, where our bed was super comfy.
After an ok sleep we were all up and about early on Tuesday 10th October, ready for the delights of Rhodes Town. Captain Caveman and I had already decided we would take my parents to Dali for breakfast and he’d checked on the internet that it was open. Off we all toddled with a short stroll along the seafront to one of our favourite Rhodes cafés. Unfortunately, when we got there it was closed and there were decorators at work. I checked if they were likely to open any time soon and they weren’t so that was our first plan scuppered. Almost an hour later, we were having a breakfast drink in a cafe because we were thirsty and/or needing the toilet. Captain Caveman paid for our coffees and juices and we decided to head nearer to the port to find somewhere open for breakfast. By 9.40am we had found Trianon Cafe that was open and serving breakfast. We all ordered a full english which included an orange juice for €13 (£11.13), I had an earl grey tea, Mom a cappuccino, Captain Caveman a double espresso and we all shared water. It wasn’t the best breakfast I’d ever had but, considering we were in Rhodes, it would do. I was surprised to see my mom drink her orange juice as it doesn’t agree with her but it was fresh and tasted good. The total bill came to €62.70 (£53.69) but we were all full and probably wouldn’t need any lunch.
We had a wander through the old town and Captain Caveman took up his role of tour guide as we weaved through the cobbled streets and away from the crowds. Just before midday mom felt a bit unwell (it was probably that orange juice) and we found a lovely little bar to have a rest up in. Baluse had a lady owner who was friendly, the big Alpha beers were €4.50 (£3.85) and a sprite (for Ma) was €4 (£3.43) – we did all comment the beers were much better value. By 1pm we were back off on our walking tour of the old town where we managed to wear out my parents. We had an afternoon rest and a freshen up at the apartments before heading back out for a night out.
We started with the short walk to Malt pub where we saw the sunset and had some beers, a round of 4 came to €20.50 (£17.55) so we had a couple in there before walking back to the restaurant, Rodos Blue, where we went last time with Jamie, Drew and Nanny kay. Between us we ordered a moussaka, grilled pork, 2 beef stifado, a small carafe of white wine and a large carafe of red wine and it came to €68 (£58.23). Wine is good and reasonably priced in Rhodes so we were quite happy to indulge. I also knew I wouldn’t be getting weighed tomorrow so I was being a bit naughty with the syns and had stopped counting. On our way back to the apartments we had a nightcap at a nearby bar and my Mom found that the shop below where we were staying, sold sherry!
joloyolo 