Dalyan – 8th & 9th December

I had another gift from Bebek at 7.30am on Thursday 8th December, this time it was alive. I asked Kylie to take care of it again and this time she took it in to the garden, killed it and ate it. She then came back in and ate her breakfast while I felt too queasy to eat mine. Captain Caveman joined the Riverbums on his weekly bumming and found some shocking areas of litter, no which is disappointing. As he was out until 2pm it was up to me to put my laptop away and walk to Charlie’s place to keep him company and take him out. When I got there, Charlie was pleased to see me but was very tired from his massive walk yesterday and just wanted belly rubs.

Video of Kylie taking a live rodent away

When Captain Caveman got back we had the BBQ chicken from Tuesday but it was a tad dry. I made extra rice to take to Kate’s with me as we now had my rice cooker in the kitchen at this house. Captain Caveman and I had a walk with Charlie but it looked like rain, when we checked the forecast, 9 wet days were predicted.
Back at Mark and Kate’s I did a meal plan to try to help with the not being able to get proper diet friendly meals because of being so ill prepared. After feeding the cats they decided to play on the stairs and Casha appointed herself as the gatekeeper of who could pass.

There were some planned power outages on Friday 9th December but I wasn’t too sure which areas either of the houses I was at, fell in to. I forgot to set an alarm so all the cats were waiting for breakfast at 7.40am when I finally woke up. I had Yorkshire tea and toast for breakfast then I decided to take my laptop and walk over to Charlie’s as Captain Caveman was out. My 8GB of data I’d bought on 21st November had already run out and the WiFi at Mark and Kate’s only works for me when sat in the living room on the sofa. I prefer to type at a desk where I can have all my materials beside me and no cats helping me. When I arrived at Charlie’s, he was pleased to see me but the power was off. I decided to cut up an apple in to wedges and send a top tip to the Fat Club group on substitute snacks when there’s no electricity. Instead of potato wedges I had apple wedges, without the BBQ sauce I may have had, and that was my lunch. At 12.30 I walked Charlie over to Lukka, where Captain Caveman had been playing bridge. I dropped the pooch off while I nipped home to get my hair conditioner, moisturiser and get weighed. I found my scales said that I’m heavier than the ones at Fat Club and my weekly measurements showed the following;
Bust stayed the same,
Waist -3cm,
Hips -5cm,
Right thigh +1cm,
Right calf stayed the same,
Left thigh -0.5cm,
Left calf -2cm.
At 2pm I went to my last Turkish class of the year where we talked about what our plans for Christmas were, as part of the lesson. It was actually quite reassuring that a lot of the people in the class don’t celebrate it and would just be having a usual day, but I’m sure the teacher must have thought we were a set of miserable buggers.

When I finished class I walked over to Bistro Blue which had now opened on certain days during the winter months. It’s one of our favourites in Dalyan so it was good news and my parents were very happy about it too. Captain Caveman, Charlie and my parents were already there and I was surprised to see my Dad drinking strawberry cider. As they had just opened, we got a bit of a deal on the beers and wine which were only 50 lira each (£2.17) – the cider was 70 lira (£3). The owners Selahı and Annie had the place looking good and it had an awning up and heaters inside. We didn’t go inside because we had Charlie who was loving being able to nosey around. It was quite pleasant being sat outside and it meant that Charlie could say hello to some street dogs. As we were leaving, Annie and Selahı treated us all to a free shot of either amaretto or a minty concoction to celebrate their first day of winter opening.

Instead of going straight back to Mark and Kate’s while it was still sunny, I decided to join Captain Caveman and Charlie for a glass of wine at Waterfall bar on the way to get my laptop and rucksack. Mehmet, at Waterfall, gave everyone jacket potatoes which were delicious. While I went to pick up my bag and order a taxi to go back in time for cat feeding, Charlie was given jacket potato skin which he loved. When I got in, it was a little later than usual but the cats seemed fine with it and settled down indoors after eating. I had broccoli soup which I put pasta in, to be more filling, for my dinner. I was looking forward to a quiet weekend when I got another online project with a deadline of a week so it meant I would be busy this weekend.

Photo credit – use of photos from the Riverbums

The Pros and Cons of living in other people’s homes when pet sitting

Advantages
•You get free pets to look after
•You don’t pay any bills for electric or internet
•You have a new local pub and can meet new people
•There may be better facilities/bigger accommodation
•Some owners leave you food, beer and/or wine
•Some have a cleaner
•Prevents me from going out or drinking as much as usual
•I spend less because I’m not as near to shops or bars
•Quieter environment (no Jazz Bar)!
•Getting more fresh air and exercise

Disadvantages
•Living out of a bag or suitcase
•Not having your usual things (e.g. kitchen equipment)
•Being further away from home/town
•Having to be super organised with belongings
•Not having enough fridge/freezer/cupboard/wardrobe space
•Other people’s washing machines don’t always have the same settings (no quick wash)
•When there are no cleaners you have to do it yourself, despite having a cleaner at home
•Lack of lighting and plug sockets in the right places
•Still having to go back and forth between own house for stuff
•You are still paying electric and internet on your existing home
•You are used to your own shower and other people’s are often not as good or easy to use
•Feeling like you can’t properly relax as you’re in someone else’s house
•Having to get taxis home if you go out of an evening so that you’re not walking home in the dark after drinking
•I have less time to spend with family and friends
•Missing my own comfy sofa/bed/pillows
•Having to double up on things you buy which are at the other house (shower gel, washing up liquid, washing powder, drinking water)
•When friends come to stay they are in the original house so more arranging needs to be done for meeting up
•Not having a desk
•Only having 1 set of keys between the 2 of us, when Captain Caveman joins me.
•Having more power cuts and slower WiFi than at home

Dalyan – 25th November

On Friday 25th November I did my weekly measurements and found that I had lost a tiny bit more weight on the home scales and a few centimetres from my bust, waist and hips. I treated myself to beans on toast for breakfast using some syns but I didn’t have any lunch. After checking some of the documents I went to my new Turkish class which was very interesting. The students in there had asked for revision of things they had already learned as well as conversational practice which I found useful – especially as I was sure I’d not learned half of it before. After class, I’d let my parents know that I’d be in Lukka at 3.30pm for a glass of vino if they fancied joining me. Seeing as it was Friday and I had achieved 3 alcohol free days and 3 days of spending zero money this week I was out for a treat. I had decided already that I wouldn’t ruin my hard work, though, and limit myself to 3 drinks.
Because Ma & Pa had stayed in for a day due to the weather, Dad was already extra excitable and loud. Maybe he was excited for the England football match that night but my mom had to keep telling him off. Fortunately, Lukka didn’t have many people in at that time so he managed 3 beers without disturbing anyone and was getting louder with each one. Mom had 2 beers and I had 2 glasses of wine. The house red wine in Lukka bar is Buzbağ which has replaced the Tılsım and is served at the perfect temperature for me. My parents fancied one at Tez bar as the sun was gone at Lukka and they hadn’t brought a coat. I said I would go with them but I was only having one because I needed to stick to my diet and was busy tomorrow morning. At Tez there were Penny & Phil, Andy & Kaye, Irena & Wolfie, Jack & Sue – already some of them were quite merry but not a loud as Dad. Tez kindly gave us free walnuts and all was going well with an early evening drink. I’m not sure what happened, exactly, but after my 1 glass of red wine in Tez bar, I decided to go home. My parents didn’t want me to and started calling me boring, surprisingly it was mainly my Mom who was a bit tiddly and on her 4th beer. I’d not seen them both act as lairy in a while and, given the week I’d had, I stuck to my plan and went home at 7.30pm. I thought I’d done well to stick to my 3 wines in 4 hours and knew if I’d stayed out I would have blown all my syns in one night, and my budget! I made myself 2 diet pizzas, this time one with BBQ sauce as a base and got ready for and early night.
I was in bed at 11pm, with my winter socks on for my cold feet, when I got a message from my Mom to say they were eating in Duble. I responded with a thumbs up and went to sleep a bit disappointed to not be out drinking on a Friday night but proud of myself for managing to do it. Tomorrow was a big day as it was the Christmas Fayre and I’d arranged to meet everyone from 2pm.

Dalyan – 19th November

On Saturday 19th November my diet didn’t quite go according to plan! It was one week since Captain Caveman had flown to England. I’d spent a mere 999 lira (£45), including 3 days where I spent zero, 4 days without any alcohol and I’d pretty much stuck to the diet.
I made a shopping list for the weekly market and called for Ma & Pa along the way. I spent just 80 lira (£3.64) on mushrooms, peppers, potatoes, onions, plums and chestnuts before we all walked back via Migros. Dad wasn’t up for walking round the supermarket with a rucksack full of purchases so he used it as an excuse to go for a beer at Jiks while Ma & I went in. I bought just a fresh loaf and some Turkish sausage for a total of 33.90 lira (£1.54) then we went over to join Dad in Jiks. It was sunny but looked like rain – still I didn’t cave and have a beer, just a diet coke.
After walking home, in a bit of rain, I went back out to buy top up data for my Turkish phone. I didn’t realise the Turkcell shop closed each afternoon (2-8pm) in the winter season so I had missed out and would try again tomorrow. I walked past Penny and Phil at Tez bar who were with other friends and I didn’t call in, but went straight home.
I had a cheese sandwich (no butter) out of my allowance and was doing so well, I even had a few plums and a big glass of water.
Kate messaged to say that the pool afternoon wasn’t at Rehab bar today so she was at Lukka bar and she was sat on her own having a wine if I’d like to join her. It was the first time she’d been ‘out out’, so of course, I would! She was already on her second glass of wine as I ordered my first, then Janet and a friend walked by and decided to join us. I spoke to Lily Fish who had unfortunately had a bad experience at the restaurant I was planning on going to tonight with my parents so I spoke to her at length about that. Kate and I decided that it worked out better to get a bottle of wine, given that the staff at Lukka were looking after us and it was a lovely sunny day. By the time we paid the bill a second bottle of wine had been had and it was jolly nice. Kate went home and I met Ma & Pa who were coming out fo the evening. We’d arranged to meet friends in Sofra bar to watch the Rugby match at 8.30pm.
My parents and I decided Çağrı would be a good venue for dinner so we went there. My diet was well and truly on hold for the day as I tucked in to the courgette fritters for a starter and ordered a glass of wine. By the time we got sat in Sofra bar I was drunk and I was probably more of a hindrance to anyone trying to watch the rugby, than a supporter.

Dalyan – 16th November

I woke up on Wednesday 16th November excited for Kate’s birthday party this afternoon. I was also looking forward to finding out if my frugal lifestyle and 3 days of no alcohol had paid off when I got to Fat Club later. So far this week I’d only spent 888 lira (£40.36) so an average of £10 per day and I’d only been in a bar once. The weather was lovely so I went to meet my parents before Fat Club at the Kaunos tea gardens where I resisted the urge to eat anything or drink beer. When I got to Fat Club I was pleased I had lost almost 1kg so my efforts this week had been rewarded and I just had to keep it up.
I walked to Mark and Kate’s feeling happy and ate a Bounty on the way as my lunch/dinner. Jacket Potatoes were being cooked on a fire by Mark but I’d already decided that today’s calories were going on wine. I took a bottle of Tılsım, which I’d took a splash out of to put in a slow cooker meal and that would be enough. My parents had taken a bottle of white and a bottle of red but I wondered if that would be enough for Dad.

On entering the party, which I was late to, due to going to Fat Club, there were lots of familiar friendly faces and the sun was shining. Mark had made a punch which Kate insisted I try and it had my 2 least favourite ingredients in; Melon and Bacardi. It actually didn’t taste too bad but I was ready for the red wine. Despite Kate having to have a party at home due to recovering from her op, it was a successful move. She looked well and she was able to drink prosecco and have a little lay down if she needed it.

Around sunset Kate, Debbie and I walked down to the jetty to admire the view with a glass of vino in hand. It was a pity Captain Caveman, Vanessa and Matt had to miss the do as it was really fun and such gorgeous weather. When I got back to the house, Dad had ran out of wine so had poured a glass of mine and I asked Mark if it was ok to ‘borrow’ some of his for my Dad. At 7pm there were still jacket potatoes in the fire, surely they were cooked by now!?

Mark managed to get Kate a birthday cake without her noticing, we sang Happy Birthday then slices were passed around. I even resisted the cake and the jacket potatoes. It was a brill party and, as you can imagine, we were there later than expected, and probably the last ones to leave, with Gorgeous Gay Gaz from Gateshead with the Glass eye and the Giant Gonads. We got Fikri’s taxi to my parents and they invited me in for a beverage.

Mom pulled out all the stops as she dished up some curry while Dad got the gin and bitter lemon (with mint) out. I’d not brought a coat or a cardi so I left my parents place with ma’s hoody on. I was glad of it as it was so cold on my bare legs and this was the coldest I’d been for a while. I was pleased to have only had 1 glass of punch, (slightly less than) 1 bottle of red wine and a couple of gins in about 7 hours. I’d only spent 111 lira (£5) and come home pretty sloshed having had a great time.

Dalyan – 10th & 11th November

I treated myself to buttered toast and a Yorkshire tea with milk on Thursday 10th November. Captain Caveman went Bumming and I went to the supermarket to get some essentials. Captain Caveman was going back to the UK this weekend so I bought some items that I would need for my diet friendly recipes. Here’s what I got:

Migros Supermarket

Onions 2.77
Pumpkin 19.60
1 Pomegranate juice 26.00
2 plain Quark 27.90
2 tins of tomatoes 45.80

Total spent 122.07 lira (£5.68)

Şok supermarket

1 bag of red lentils 22.50 lira (£1.05)

I got the slow cooker on to make a curry for dinner that night and then decided to have a super healthy lunch of a beetroot salad. Captain Caveman was back later than expected from an arduous morning of bumming and wasn’t too pleased when I said we were off out. I’d arranged to meet my parents at Kaunos tea gardens but Captain Caveman didn’t have time as he needed to have lunch and go for a shave and a haircut. I went anyway and my good intentions of having a Turkish tea without sugar were successful. But then, the sun was shining, my parents ordered another beer and a cleanly shaven Captain Caveman arrived and ordered a beer. I succumbed and ordered a beer, we saw Kaan and Selahi there with friends and it stayed sunny for quite a while as we enjoyed another beer. On the way home we saw Mark at Tez bar so I gave him back Kate’s house key and took a photo as proof, seeing as he’d had a few and might forget he’d seen us.
Back home we had the curry I’d made and it was very enjoyable, there was some left for another day too. Captain Caveman opened a bottle of wine to have with his dinner and I couldn’t resist a small drop.

On Friday 11th November I remembered to take my measurements. I had lost 1.1kg on my home scales but had put centimetres on in most places. Captain Caveman made me a diet version of a sausage butty by using sausages that were skinny in a wrap with peppers and onions. I had orange juice too and really enjoyed my breakfast. Captain Caveman went off to Lukka bar to play Bridge and I worked on a presentation for the delayed training session I was involved in later in the month. When Captain Caveman got home we had leftover curry for lunch. I absolutely love having my rice steamer here in Dalyan as the rice takes only about 10 minutes and is perfect every time – I won’t do without one now.
In the afternoon I’d arranged to have a walk over to Mark and Kate’s with Captain Caveman and my parents. Kate was still recovering and so she wasn’t yet able to be out and about. The boys had some beers, I stuck to water and Kate celebrated with a splash of prosecco – it had been a week since she’d been in hospital. Bebek the cat took a shine to Captain Caveman while he was sat on the sex swing. My parents and I left him there while we had a lovely stroll back in to town. It would have been rude to go past Rehab bar without calling in for a draft Efes and to say hello to Tay. Captain Caveman joined us later when Mark dropped him off on his mobility scooter.
That evening my parents had invited us round for dinner which we were really looking forward to. Mom was doing one of our favourite dinners too, Spaghetti Bolognese. I did succumb to some crisps and 3 glasses of red wine with my large portion of spag bol, which was delicious. For afters we had taken some cheese so we had a cheese board with grapes and some of Kate’s membrillo and plum chutney. I purposely had a break before I ate the cheese so that I would eat less of it.
It was a great night and, as it was Captain Caveman’s last night in Dalyan for a couple of weeks, a good way to have a bit of a send off.

Photo credit – Dalyan Riverbums

Dalyan & Köyceğiz – 7th November

We were off to Köyceğiz on Monday 7th November! I’d organised a boat trip with Rob in mind but he had to work and couldn’t come along. Not to be deterred, the rest of us still went on another of Kaan’s boat trips, this time to take us to Köyceğiz market. On board today were;
Captain Caveman, me, Mom & Dad, Linda, Vanessa, Tracey, Diana, Jackie & Chris, Wolfie, Tay & Angelique. At one point we were doubting if the weather would be good enough to go as, up to an hour before, it wasn’t looking good.
Once we had set sail, I suggested to Kaan that he write the price of each drink on the sheet at the top of the page – that way everyone knows what they were paying beforehand. He told me the prices and I wrote them on for him while we set sail to Köyceğiz, across the gorgeous lake. While I was behind the bar, helping people get the drink they wanted and writing it down on the bar tab for Kaan, I noticed a hat. I was sure it was Viv’s so I messaged her and it was, so I popped it in my bag to give her.

Most of us had already had a drink before we arrived in Köyceğiz and I still had half of my beer left, which I gave to Captain Caveman. My parents, Captain Caveman, Linda and I headed to the clothing part of the market where my Dad decided to buy some trainers. My parents needed a new toaster so Captain Caveman went off to locate the electrical shop, but it was no longer there. The ones we did find didn’t sell toasters so we were just about to make our way back out. Unfortunately, a rather large Turkish woman in somewhat of a rush bumped right in to Dad making him almost lose is balance. When Captain Caveman rejoined us, she had almost done the same to him. It was time to get out of there and reconvene with the group at Tuana restaurant. Linda and I went to the public toilets, they are a short walk from the waterfront and it costs 4 lira (less than 20p). Because Kaan was charging 80 lira (£3.72) for a glass of wine and didn’t have any red, Linda went to buy a bottle in Migros. My parents went straight to Tuana but Captain Caveman and I wanted to find the fruit, veg and cheese market stalls. We found some lovely strawberries, then tried out and bought a few delicious cheeses.

At Tuana a few people were already eating and, although a glass of wine here was 85 lira (£3.95) a beer was only 50 lira (£2.33). The food was good and a few people recommended the quesadillas so Captain Caveman had that. It had chilli in so I ordered a plain chicken sandwich but when it came they had sprinkled chilli flakes on the chicken. I dusted them off and ate it as I was hungry but it was a bit warm. As we were leaving there was a bit of an unfortunate incident. I’d gone to the loo in the restaurant just before Tracey but didn’t realise that she was stuck in there. The dodgy lock meant she was trapped inside and had to phone Diana who alerted the staff. Tracey was rescued by them breaking the door so she didn’t get left behind!

Loaded up with fresh produce from Köyceğiz market, we got back on the boat just before 3pm. The bad weather looked like it might finally be catching up with us but we were heading away from the big black clouds. More drinks were had on the boat and I helped Kaan behind the bar a bit, to make sure everything was recorded properly. Our plan had been to anchor up somewhere on the lake, pop on some music and chill out a little but the rain did look like it might come. Kaan doesn’t have any side awnings on his boat but I momentarily couldn’t think what they were called to ask about them in English or Turkish. We had a laugh telling Kaan he needed to get some ‘side flaps’ for when it was wet! I made the decision to go back to Dalyan without anchoring up, just in case the weather turned, as we had been very lucky so far. This meant we were back by 4.30pm instead of the 5pm we planned so we didn’t cut it short too much.

A few of us decided to stop at Tez bar for a drink, Captain Caveman took our shopping home and went to check if Rob had finished work and wanted to join us. He was still in a meeting so he left a note to say to come to us and we had a couple at Tez’s. A guy sat there had just ordered a toaster which had been delivered to Tez so I took a photo of it for my mom to see if she wanted to order one. There was a German woman sat alone so she came to join us and, when Rob arrived, it turned out he spoke the most German out of any of us.

For dinner we decided to go to Çağrı, Rob had booked Fikri to take him to the airport so we were tight for time. Joining Captain Caveman, Rob, my parents and I were Jackie, Chris and Diana. We all ordered and a few people shared various mezes from the chiller too, there was more booze involved and we all had a lovely meal. Unfortunately Rob had to leave while we were still at Çağrı and we were all sad to see him go. He’d been a perfect guest and everyone had got on well with him, he is so easy going too. Captain Caveman gave him an open invite to come back any time.
That really should have been the end of the night but, foolishly, after saying bye to Diana, Jackie and Chris the 4 of us had a table booked at the new Heybe’s Monday Entertainments quiz. When we got there it had just started and we got told off for being late. This quiz is an entertainments one which is based mainly on TV, film and musicals. Obviously Captain Caveman and I find that difficult as we were living in Vietnam for quite a while without any TV at all. We were in luck though as the specialist round was from years back, Only Fools and Horses, something we all used to watch. Jamie, Drew and Debbie were on the next table but we had no time for chatting to anyone as the quiz was on. Obviously we didn’t win and we weren’t sure this kind of quiz was our thing really. It’s ideal if you do like a lot of TV and film though. Earlier in the year I’d had a firestick but I rarely watched anything but Formula 1 or the news, so we were definitely at a disadvantage. Next week’s specialist round would be on the 1968 musical, Oliver! That was definitely more up Drew’s street as he’s good on musicals, none of us 4 have a clue. We were all drunk, we’d had an amazing weekend and now I needed to get back on track with my diet!

Dalyan – 6th November

During the night there had been heavy rain but it looked like it was easing off when we woke up on Sunday 6th November. Rob had already been up early for his morning run, where a street dog had accompanied him. He got back to the apartment just as the rain had begun again. Captain Caveman was still in bed rejigging today’s plans. The idea had been for Captain Caveman and Rob to walk it to Iztuzu beach over the hills. They would get the 10am bus part way along and walk the rest. My parents and I would get the bus at noon and see them there. Instead, we ate Turkish breakfast pastries at home with a hot beverage before our afternoon trip out. Just before 10am we thought the whole of Plan A would be stopped due to the heavy rain but, by 10.15am, the rain had stopped and the sun was trying to come out. All 5 of us got the 12 o’clock bus, Captain Caveman was a bit cheesed off as the 10am bus had been moved to 10.30am so they could have still done plan A if they had known. At the beach it was fairly cold, breezy, but the sun was warming things up a bit. I thought it was too cold to swim and didn’t take my swimmers. Our first stop of the day was to see the amazing work that is being done at the turtle hospital, one of my favourite turtles today was Nessie and she might even be getting released soon.

By 1pm we were on the sand watching Captain Caveman get in to the sea like a modern day Reginald Perrin. Rob wasn’t far behind but my parents and I thought it was a bit too bracing for that kind of madness. We had lunch at the beach cafe where a chicken döner sandwich was 40 lira and chips only 25 lira. Captain Caveman’s and my lunch came to a bargain 105 lira (£5) and was tasty and filling.

We got the 3pm bus back and decided on a drink at Tez bar, where there was a bit of DIY going on. Tez was making new indoor seating arrangements, now that it was getting colder at night. Rob is a cat lover and the new kittens were really sweet, we were joined by Penny and Phil who had a dog treat for Cani, the Tez dog. Jamie and Drew had been for Sunday lunch so they stopped by for a drink on their way home too. Tez had some spare Efes glasses, we don’t have any at home so he gave us some for free which we really appreciated. After a couple of drinks we decided to go for dinner at Kebapçı Yusuf. We had a lovely meal, of which I took no photos whatsoever, we had all enjoyed a great day together and I was glad to be back in my own bed.

Dalyan – 4th November

By 7.25am on Friday 4th November all cats at Mark and Kate’s were fed. I was tempted to go back to bed but didn’t and I spent some time on my Turkish. I cycled back to see Captain Caveman who was looking forward to Rob’s arrival this afternoon. He made the spare bed and had a tidy round a bit, while I cooked lunch he went to the supermarket. He bought 3 cartons of cherry juice (for his gout), a carton of orange juice and a toastie loaf for a total of 88 lira (£4.20). He also bought a lightbulb for the cooker hood for 13 lira, a shower head for 35 lira and some coffee for 65 lira, just over £5 for those 3 items.
We ate Slimming World friendly potatoes with peppers and onion, then I added tiny bits of sucuk (Turkish salami) and cheese. It wasn’t bad but not amazing though that didn’t matter as I had organised a night out later. I went back to Mark and Kate’s to check on the kitties then feed them.

Captain Caveman met Rob for a drink at Lukka bar then I walked in to town to meet them at Aşkın’s for a pre-dinner drink. Jamie and Drew were already there with Captain Caveman and Rob, I joined Jamie in a Mr G to remember his late husband Graeme. The Mr G drink is named after Graeme and is very moreish, it was also Aşkın’s last weekend of opening as they would be closing for the winter. The evenings were getting a little cooler now so I had a fleece on as we walked through town to meet everyone at Bistro Blue. It was also their last night so l had reserved a table for 10 of us; Ma & Pa, Jamie & Drew, Viv & Paul, Nanny Kay, Rob, Captain Caveman and me.
We sat down but Captain Caveman decided he would take Dad’s seat so Dad had to go back to sitting opposite Mom so that Captain Caveman could sit opposite Rob. I sat between Paul and Drew, opposite Nanny Kay.
I’d already decided I was having a steak before I’d even looked at the menu, Captain Caveman and I decided to treat ourselves to the large one for a little extra. Drew had a mixed grill and it was massive, I really enjoyed my steak and it took me ages to eat it. After a gorgeous meal most of us wandered over to Sofra bar where there was a band on so we caught the second half. Luckily a few from Fat Club were there so I joined them on the dance floor. I loved Psycho Killer and it was the singer’s birthday so it was a great way to end the night. We met up with our neighbours and some friends and had a great night with more wine – the diet was going really well! When it was time to go home, I needed a taxi back to Mark and Kate’s but I didn’t have their address to hand. I went to the taxi rank and asked for a ‘taxi to Mark and Kate’s house please’ and the driver said he knew the way. It was pretty late and I’m not sure why I didn’t call Fikri but I got back ok and went to bed having had a lovely time.

Dalyan – 3rd November

While Captain Caveman went Dogging, I got ready for Jamie and Drew’s return on Thursday 3rd November. I stripped the bed and put a wash on then made sure the house was tidy and packed ready to leave. Norman and Edna were excited to be having their owners back home and were a little bit giddy when they saw my rucksack. We sat outside in the lovely sunshine and every time a car came near, the dogs thought it might be Jamie’s taxi. When at last they did arrive, the dogs were so happy.

I didn’t stay long as I had another appointment to get to; I was off to Mark and Kate’s for more house and pet sitting while they had a couple of days away. After buying more credit for my Turkish phone, I met Captain Caveman along the way. I parked Daisy, my bicycle, up outside Rehab bar and we went in to Sosyete for a bite to eat. We both had a pide served with a lovely complimentary pomegranate salad which was all delicious – I’d not noticed before but they don’t serve alcohol. At Bumming today the volunteers had very sadly found a dead turtle and cleaned up lots of rubbish from the river areas so Captain Caveman had certainly worked up a good appetite. He wasn’t joining me at Mark and Kate’s this time, firstly because of his cat allergy and secondly, because our friend, Rob, was coming to visit us tomorrow and he wanted to get the apartment prepared. We called at Migros where Captain Caveman bought a bottle of the red wine, Fiona, recommended by Linda, but he took that with him.

I was at Mark and Kate’s in time for the cat feeding and I let myself in as I already had a key. My bedroom had been made to look very cosy and had an overzealous amount of cushions. Unfortunately one of the younger cats startled poor Casha, who’s only got one eye, and she ended up hiding in the crisp box for the rest of the night.
When I went to bed I tried to download something to watch on Netflix but I got an error message. As I updated my diary I realised I had already had double the weekly syn allowance and it was only Thursday. Still, I’d had no alcohol today which was a bonus. I went to sleep fairly early, knowing I’d be up at 7am tomorrow to feed the cats.

Photo credit – The Riverbums/Dalyanlı

Dalyan – 31st October

Captain Caveman and I don’t do Halloween so we were pleased to be invited to a non-Halloween party on Monday 31st October. Norman and Edna had slept on our bed at Jamie’s villa and weren’t even up and about by 8.45pm. They had walks and breakfast, making sure I was still checking Jamie’s list for feeding and medication requirements. Vanessa came over to Jamie’s villa, while Captain Caveman had gone Dogging, so that we could do our Turkish homework. We even did it outside on the front patio with a soda water, ice and lemon. For a late lunch I made jacket potatoes with cheese and a bit of sucuk (Turkish sausage) but without butter to make sure it wasn’t too many syns for Fat Club. We had more dog walking in the late afternoon before we got ready to go out. We were already running late to meet Vanessa, Matt, Ma & Pa outside Istanbul restaurant so when we did get there they had already gone on to Adam and Kath’s where the party was already in full swing. Kate was still on her alcohol free stint and doing amazingly well as she sipped water with pomegranate and orange pieces in. Mark was being very supportive by not offering her one of his beers. I thought I could do well to take a leaf out of Kate’s book, as I opened a bottle of Tılsım red wine and poured Captain Caveman and I a glass. I sat next to Linda and she had a glass, there were crisps and Doritos which I luckily couldn’t reach but I saw Captain Caveman shovelling them in like a kid who’d been forever denied treats. Also there, were Andy and Kay who I’d not seen for a bit so it was good to catch up. Jack & Sue and Nigel & Amanda were at the other end of the table with some people I didn’t know so I didn’t get to chat to them.
Adam and Kath had put a delightful spread of food on and it was definitely difficult to stick to the diet as I ate ham in a breadcake with some salad items, including olives which are not syn free. I was spared the fab looking roast potatoes as they had chillies on and I did have some crisps. Linda got a second bottle of wine out for the 3 of us to share, it was one I’d not tried before and I liked it.
Matt decided to organise a pool tournament and it turned in to a right laugh. My Dad doesn’t usually play and, because of his bad eyesight, he wasn’t up for playing but it wasn’t an option – our names were down. We had a few rounds of Killer, which I like best and Dad wasn’t the worst player. Captain Caveman and I actually left at a reasonable hour as we wanted to get back for the dogs. On our way ‘home’ we walked near to the new Jazz Bar in the square next to Migros which was very lively.
Norman and Edna looked like they hadn’t moved from the sofa when we got ‘home’ so I’m sure we could have stayed out longer. We left before my parents, Mark & Kate and Vanessa & Matt who were still giving the ball a good kick.

Photo credit – Adam Newton

Dalyan – 30th October

Kate, aka Miss Guided Tours or Miss Adventure, had organised another boat trip on Sunday 30th October. I had resigned myself to not going given that Edna, the dog, had not been well yesterday. When we got up and took both dogs out for a walk they were fine and Edna was back to normal, thankfully. I decided I would go on the boat trip, after all, but it did mean we would be leaving the pooches in the villa for about 7 hours and I was a bit concerned. Before the day out to sea on Kaan’s Tequila Boat, we didn’t have time to make breakfast so we grabbed a pain au chocolat from Migros and ate it at the front of the boat. On board today we had some of the same usual suspects but we were missing a couple who couldn’t make it and had added more for good measure. My parents, Captain Caveman and I were joined by Vanessa, Adam & Kath, Jackie & Chris, Trish & Steve, Michaela & Ali, Gay Gaz, Kelly and a lady we call 007. Mark and Kate got picked up from their jetty on our way to Devil’s Bay once again. I was so pleased that Ali was well enough to join us even though he and Michaela were not able to go mad with the drink. Trish was back to her usual self too and could enjoy a white wine (or 2) but Vanessa was now feeling a bit iffy and had to limit her wines to just 2 this time. Kate, who was doing so well being alcohol free but was finding it tricky to not drink. Typically, Kaan and Kate had agreed water would be free on this trip, so if she ordered wisely she still could take advantage of a free bar today! Of course, Gay Gaz, Kelly, Mark and Steve managed to make up for it on the booze. By 2pm Captain Caveman had cleared a beach of lots of litter and was towing it back to the boat using a paddle board as a raft.

Most people went in the sea and it was sunny still, about 26°C, but it did feel cool when I got out of the water. Kaan was so relaxed because this could well be the last boat trip of the season and he knows us all so well. He even joined us in a few drinks at the bar, leaving his two mates to do all the work.

The BBQ lunch was wonderful and with 18 of us on the boat it was cosy while we ate it. Kaan took us for another swim spot at hole island and we had more drinks, I think we may even have ran out of certain refreshments.

It was a lovely day even though I didn’t drink too much on account of looking after Jamie’s dogs and, when everyone suggested going for drinks after the boat trip, we decided to go straight home. I was sure that little Edna may need a walk by now and even half expected for one of the dogs to have had an accident but they had been as good as gold. I didn’t have any WiFi on the boat so I didn’t realise that we had missed Nanny Kay who had popped round to say hello, while we were out. I was sad to have missed her because she does have some of the best stories and always makes me laugh. After a nice walk the dogs were super ravenous and it was good to see Edna was back on her normal dog biscuits.
For dinner that night we had diet pizzas and were trying not to fall asleep on the sofa, while watching Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix, at only 9.30pm.

Photo credit – Michaela, Adam and Kaan

Dalyan – 28th & 29th October

By 7.10am on Friday 28th October, I was up and ready for a walk, even if Norman and Edna weren’t! They had slept on my bed all night and were still a little snoozy. The view from my bedroom window was wonderful and I thought it would be lovely to be round that pool in summer. After bread and cheese for breakfast I took Daisy, my bicycle, back home to see how Captain Caveman was doing. His foot was still bad but he could walk a bit better now. I left my bike for him to use and I walked back to Jamie’s for more dog fussing. In all the faffing about I forgot to get weighed or do my weekly measurements. I started making a chicken casserole for dinner while Captain Caveman got moved in and fussed the dogs. He had brought lots of stuff for the fridge and freezer which we just about managed to squidge in. For our evening walk, which was easier with 2 people we took the dogs to nearby Waterfall bar. They know Skippy, the Waterfall dog, and we met my parents there. John and Andrea were in with friends but came to say hello and pet the pooches. When Edna and Norman wanted to chase cats it was time to go home for dinner. While Captain Caveman sorted my parents out with a glass of wine, I fed the dogs who ate like they had never been fed. We had a civilised evening, eating chicken casserole with broccoli and roast potatoes. My Mom pointed out that Dad had been given more potatoes than Captain Caveman which then meant Captain Caveman was disappointed to not have as much dinner. I’d not made a dessert but there were some mini-Magnum icecreams in the freezer, taking up unnecessary room, so we polished them off. After another glass of wine and some dog tickles I booked Fikri (the taxi driver) to take my parents home so they didn’t get lost in the dark.

There was a bit of a ‘to do’ on Saturday 29th October; at first I wasn’t sure which of the dogs were ill because they had both left presents in the kitchen but one wasn’t very solid! It turned out that Edna had a bad tummy so I made her scrambled egg and pasta for breakfast. I was meant to be meeting Vanessa for Turkish homework but had to cancel as I didn’t want to leave Edna in the house with the runs. I let Jamie know she wasn’t too well and I stayed home all day with the dogs.
Captain Caveman went to the weekly market where he bought potatoes, onions, aubergines, tomatoes, peppers, and carrots for less than 100 lira (£5). At Migros supermarket he bought Fairy liquid, apple & cherry juice and white beans for 80 lira (under £4). We had a few walks and Edna managed to have the runs on her own garden path which Captain Caveman washed for us. I mainly stayed outside on the patio where the sun was really hot and I was glad of Jamie’s suncream shelf as I hadn’t thought I’d need to bring any at this time of year. By 5pm I was having a glass of wine and updating my diary while the dogs snoozed.
In the evening we were invited to Deniz’s wedding party at Paradise Hotel but we decided not to leave Edna (or Norman) in case things didn’t improve. I made more scrambled egg and noodles for Edna’s dinner and turned left overs in to a chicken casserole with white beans. It was really good and I would do the same recipe but with sausages next time. Before 10pm it looked like little Edna was on the mend and all but me were enjoying sofa snoozes! We had plans for tomorrow but we had already decided I would stay home if Edna was not 100% and Captain Caveman would go without me.

Dalyan – 26th & 27th October

Captain Caveman woke up in pain on Wednesday 26th October, he was sneezy and his gout had flared up so he couldn’t get out of bed. I went to the bakers for bread and a simit and we had Turkish style breakfast. Captain Caveman struggled to make it to the table and had to dose himself up on painkillers. A friend messaged me to say all had gone well yesterday at the hospital for her husband, which was excellent news. I went to Jamie’s to pop over for a dog related briefing as we were moving in to his place tomorrow, while he and Drew jetted off to a wedding.
In the afternoon I went to my first Fat Club meeting and it was quite funny. The idea is that we follow Slimming World’s philosophy, although Kate is doing her’s as calorie counting instead. I’d already lost 0.8kg by our leader, Carol’s, reckoning but that was only because I had given her my current weight from my scales at home, which weigh heavier. I needed to lose 10kg so we would see if I could manage that given all the temptations in Dalyan. I was hoping to use the group for motivation, inspiration, ideas and obviously the tracking of the weight. Carol had us all discuss when we can do a Christmas knees up (with food and drink) and then went on to plan for us to bring treats to the group in a fortnight’s time. At first I didn’t hear that they were meant to be syn free treats and had visions of me tucking in to a Bounty!
I went home with two borrowed Slimming World cook books, some ideas for soup making and all full of determination. I had an apple for a snack, followed by a home made chicken, potato and spinach curry with steamed rice. I worked out I could have 15 syns each day and thought that would be plenty as I don’t tend to snack or eat much sweet stuff (or so I thought)! Captain Caveman was laid up on the sofa and could barely walk so I had to go out without him. I met my parents at Retro bar and decided to have a glass of white wine and soda so that I had a more sensible drink which would last longer. I don’t like to drink diet drinks because of how the body reacts, plus they don’t taste great. Maureen and Gary arrived and we got on with the quiz, the picture round was quite tricky in parts. We had a good laugh at the quiz and we didn’t do as badly without Captain Caveman as he would have predicted, but we didn’t win. I stuck to just 2 white wine and sodas, which was 17 syns and I’d already had 6 syns at breakfast. Today I had already gone over my daily allowance and would have to keep it in check a bit for the rest of the week.

Captain Caveman was still not well on Thursday 27th October so I had to move in to Jamie’s villa without him. I started the day with a simit, hazelnut and tahini paste mixed together and a cup of Yorkshire tea with milk. Then I said bye to Captain Caveman and cycled over to Jamie’s. It was the first time he had left his 2 King Charles Caveliers in Turkey and he was, understandably, a bit apprehensive and sad. He’d already given them their breakfast and daily treat and then he said his goodbyes. Jamie’s cleaner had made some cake which he had left some for me to finish off as well as 4 bottles of red wine – day 2 of the diet was going well!
Norman and Edna were absolutely fine as soon as Jamie had left and were quite happy being fussed or snoozing. When I took them for a walk they were so cute and comical but very well behaved. For lunch I had a cheese sandwich, I drank lots of water and had noodles for dinner but then I had a small piece of the cake! This meant I had consumed 8 syns today so I was still already over as a running total, so far. The cake was so nice, very moist and the dogs really wanted some. Instead they got their biscuits which they inhaled so quickly I thought they might choke. Norman had scoffed his before I’d even put the lid back on the tub, I was going to have to be careful I didn’t drop anything on the floor when cooking or that would be snaffled up.
When it came to bed time I wasn’t sure if the pooches would go in their bed or stay on the sofa and so I asked them. It was hilarious that the word bedtime had them halfway up the stairs looking at me, as if to say “Well, come on then!”

Dalyan – 23rd October

Sunday 23rd October started with Captain Caveman making me a bacon and mushroom muffin for breakfast. He made himself something that resembled a MacDonald’s bacon & egg McMuffin which made me feel a bit queasy. While he and my Dad went off to watch the local team, Dalyan Spor, play football I invited Vanessa and my mom round for the afternoon. I’d also got someone coming to Lukka bar to buy some trousers so I was looking forward to seeing how that might pan out.
Vanessa and I like to get together to do our Turkish homework, usually with wine, but today we were good and just had cups of tea. Mainly as we were all out tonight and didn’t want to get bladdered in the afternoon. We had a good laugh, of course the trouser buyer fell asleep, then turned up late but did buy them. On my way back home I noticed it was getting cooler around 5pm now, even Kitler, the cat, had taken to sleeping in the Aussie’s plant pot to keep warm. Captain Caveman made sausage pasta for dinner which was really tasty and plenty of it.
That night, Captain Caveman and I joined my parents, Matt & Vanessa, Mark & Kate, and Adam & Kath at Sinan’s for the weekly cancer quiz. We haven’t been for years due to the last time we went it was far too smokey. (I’d wrongly assumed the quiz was to raise money to help find a cure for cancer, not give it you while you tried to work out the quiz answers). Of course, Captain Caveman was a knobby-know-all and wrote all the answers to the first section without even showing anyone else the sheet. By the third round I could tell Matt was getting bored and he and I started taking the piss a bit. In the break I had taken a skirt for the lady who went on a bender and forgot to get it, gave it to her friend and went back to the table looking like I was doing dodgy deals. I was pleasantly surprised to see very few smokers this time but it was spoiled by one bloke smoking a massive cigar throughout most of the first half. Obviously, we didn’t win the quiz and Captain Caveman got argumentative over one question that could have had more than one answer.
By the end of the night Mark, Adam and Matt were playing pool and I was regretting not bringing warmer clothing. By 10.40pm I had borrowed Kate’s scarf and gloves but was ready for home. I’d decided I really didn’t enjoy doing quizzes, it just reminds me how much rubbish I don’t know, or even need to know, while Captain Caveman shows off how clever he is.