This gallery contains 81 photos.
I went to Madrid way back in October 2015 and forgot/didn’t get around to posting my photos, so here they are! I really liked Madrid, and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun weekend mini-break… Now that’s … Continue reading
Okay, okay, I know it’s a bit late for this post, but who cares? I was busy doing stuff…
I’m not a massive fan of new year as a rule – it’s almost always a huge letdown as a night out, and unless I’m at a houseparty with some good friends I’d frankly rather be at home watching TV like any other night of the year. However I do occasionally like to stop and take the opportunity to reflect on the year that has gone by, and the new one that is coming, and think about all of the good and bad things that have come along, or that might be waiting right around the corner. Continue reading
So, while flipping back through my facebook posts searching for something unrelated, I thought I would put together a little montage of snippets from the last 6 months of my life for all my readers out there.
I realise most of my blog followers are also friends of mine on facebook, so this will be boring and meaningless for them (they get to enjoy my awesomeness on a regular basis via my facebook posts, and often also in person), but for those of you out there who follow my blog and don’t know me in person, or are not friends with me on facebook, (and assuming you are interested), here’s a little bit more of what it’s like in my head, and in my life, in short, bitesized chunks…
2nd June 2015
A day in the life of Maya (abridged version):
1) Woke up, went to work, decided it was far too early to read any stories about mass graves, and selectively deleted those emails, thus maintaining my cheery disposition a bit longer (ignorance is a beautiful thing sometimes).
2) Went to a cash for work payout and met not one, but two beneficiaries called Saddam Hussein.
3) Reflected that names such as Saddam Hussein will no doubt be significantly less popular these days, and will probably soon be extinct, along with names such as Barry and Clive….
4) Started what will no doubt be an endless cycle of edits to a document I am co-writing with an American, in which we both continue to change the spelling of “labourer/laborer”.
5) Felt guilty that I failed to do my daily 7-minute workout, managed to counter-balance it by actively not having a cornetto after dinner. Felt so proud of my self-control I rewarded myself with a gin and tonic. Dieting in Maya’s world is an extremely complex process…
I have been grappling with my tax situation for months, and occasionally sharing my pain and frustration via facebook, so I thought I would chart the horrific atrocities of both HMRC and my irritating employer in full here so that you can all feel my pain and share the burden of horror from the beginning.
I’ll be having tax-related nightmares for weeks, and may also require therapy at some point. And if it’s a choice between death or taxes right now, then point me to the nearest cliff…
It all started in the middle of last year….
2nd September 2015
You know that thing where you work overseas for almost 2 years, and a month before you come home your employer realises you should have been registered as non-tax resident in order to reclaim all your tax? So you fill in all the forms, discover you have to also do a tax return and start the excruciating process of registering online for a self-assessment form.
Then you get stuck, cos you need a special number to register online, but you can’t get one, as it has to be posted to you, and they think you still live overseas and so they keep posting things to Iraq and the Philippines.
You keep calling them to tell them you’ve moved back home, and they tell you that you’ll need to do a tax return, but they can’t seem to fix your address glitch on their system and of course they can’t possibly just give you the damn reference number over the phone …. And after spending more than an hour on hold on three separate numbers before they refer you back to the first number you called, you just start to weep while bashing your head repeatedly against the desk.
Yeah, that.
This gallery contains 17 photos.
Sunset at the beach at Naiharn Pineapple rice! YUM! Mojitos! Also YUM! My nephew got an awesome and very realistic henna tattoo! Lovely neon lights in the trees New Year’s Eve selfie – happy I managed to tame my hair … Continue reading
This gallery contains 65 photos.
Suitcase literally filled with presents! Some friends pop by for some pre-Christmas drinks and mince pies. My first thai curry on arrival at the airport. Tom Yum Goong – YUM! My gorgeous nephews under the frangipani tree with all the … Continue reading
Oh dear – another few months have gone by and I was too busy having fun and doing stuff to blog about it!
Bad Maya!
So basically get ready for a stream of many many many photos from my holiday, and the occasional fun story mixed in there…
Well, it’s that time of year that I’m making my favourite caramelised red onion chutney, which makes a convenient and very cheap Christmas present as well as being delicious with cheese!
I’ve used this recipe from BBC Good Food website, but added a few twists to spice it up a bit…
You’ll need:
– I usually double this amount when I’m making it, as I like to make a large batch at once if it’s for gifts at Christmas time. Double the amount above usually makes about 8 standard (small-medium sized) jam jars. Continue reading
This gallery contains 32 photos.
I recently visited a house which was, quite literally, a cat palace. It made me feel like an inadequate cat owner, like I just don’t love my cats enough. Here is the cat’s room (yes, this cat has it’s own … Continue reading
Every once in a while I compile together all the things that make me laugh, and it’s been a while since my last collection of things that made me laugh, and this other post full of comedy goodness, so here are some new offerings for your amusement… Continue reading
One photographer's journey...
Stuff I've seen, and places I've been...
Stuff I've seen, and places I've been...
Stuff I've seen, and places I've been...
Stuff I've seen, and places I've been...
Had we but world enough and time... 