If you have any queries related to BSL’s financial administration, Michele Simpson can be found three days a week at BSL – working on invoicing, payment of bills and salaries, and looking after our maintenance contracts.

Michele Simpson – Financial administrator

As you may guess from my surname, I’ve been involved with BSL since its very earliest beginnings, when the company was first registered at our house in Breukelen in 1990. After the ‘Bright Side’ became a B.V and moved to its first ‘proper’ office in Maarssen a year later, I remained closely involved with all aspects of BSL’s administration, eventually becoming a paid employee in 2004 at the insistence of the Dutch tax authorities.

Secretariaat

In my current role, I also help out in the secretariaat if the Office Manager or Office Assistant are away, and provide extra backup during busy periods.

So, if you hear a strange English accent on the phone when you ring our offices, it’s undoubtedly me! And of course, I also do any Dutch-English translations that may be needed, and work on English-language blog items for the BSL and DilemmaMatch websites.

Spare time

When not working at BSL, I also carry out translation and editing work from BSL’s original office at our home address. As our two children have now ‘flown the nest’, any remaining hours in the week might be spent watching a film, enjoying a meal (home-cooked or otherwise!), or simply relaxing with a good book.

And when Martyn’s busy work schedule permits, I also enjoy visiting as many corners of the Netherlands as possible with him – or anywhere else in the world as well!

I’ve even been known to indulge Martyn by accompanying him to cricket matches throughout the world, but for obvious reasons I prefer the Caribbean to a cold September in Nottingham!