OTHER INTERESTS
OLIVE TREES &
CLIMATE
One reads of many ancient cultures who
enforced the death penalty against anyone who cut down an olive
tree. They don't do that anymore but the habit of
cutting them down seems to be spreading at an alarming rate. It seems they
are worth as much as firewood as they are as a fruiting crop! If not
actually felled, they are being pruned extremely heavily. Both actions
threaten to ruin the landscape. The proliferation of new villas, built in
some of the most inaccessible and prominent places, together with their
infrastructure requirements, seem to be quite out of control, if, indeed
there is any control? If being done in the guise of supporting the holiday
industry; very soon they will be turning away the very visitors they seek
to attract.
On the 10a Map I highlighted some of the larger areas
where deforestation has occurred for unknown reasons - unless to
build more villas - and it is sad that these blank areas show up so well
in satellite imagery. This loss of vegetation, coupled with the seemingly
dry winters of the last few years when the heavy winter rains have not
materialised, may pose a serious threat to the Islands future. By 2011,
the damage seems to have receded a little with sites where new buildings
are completed being grown-over by garden vegetation and others, where
building has not proceeded, being colonized by natural vegetation.
MONGONISSI.
In addition to the usual facilities, the Bar on the southernmost quay,
seems to have re-opened after many years.
Talking of
Bars, it has been pointed out that the Taverna opposite
the Paxos Club at Zenisbisatika ("Restaurant Vontza") which I,
teasingly, described as 'looking expensive' is not at all so! Its Menu is
priced much the same as are all the others. My apologies!
Also on food
& drink, Eric's Taverna in Lakka is no more but Nonio's and many
others remain. Within spitting distance (how horrible a measure!)
the Sarano Bar is run by Sharon, an English lady, so for those UK visitors
who, unlike me, are tea drinkers, it has an added attraction. Two doors
down from this, a very nice Greek lady, Demetria, has an open-all
hours Grocer's shop, handy if you want to shop in the afternoon when
all else is closed.
GREEK MAP OF PAXOS. I think a problem with the Paxiots is that, never having had any decent map of the Island, they have had no practice in map-reading and therefore just don't know how to read them.
My involvement in the preparation of a Greek language version of the Map in association with the Mayor and Dimos Paxeon (Local Government) I discontinued as they apparantly had an offer from the EU to map the Island free. This presumably follows from the legal obligation imposed by the European Parliament for all EU States to have reliable Cartographic cover available to the public. It is rather a disappointment to me but only bears out Elizabeth's long-held opinion that it would all end in tears! We await with interest to see what their Map will look like. If they do it properly, it should be to a considerably larger scale, giving it wider usefulness in property transactions etc, but be unsuitably large for handling when walking, being probably in several separate sheets.
The above was written in 2009 and was followed by publication of the TOPO Map which offers competition in the shape of a perfectly good 'HIKING MAP'. It is very accurate but much smaller & in 4 languages but has no written notes or text and doesn't detail the footpaths as well or show so many, as mine. It will be of little use for cadestral purposes.
That Map being so small and with so little detail, encouraged me to go back to MY Greek edition. I did quite a lot of work on it in 2009 & 2010 but stopped whilst I was promised help from several quarters, on-the-Island. I am still waiting for the help to materialize! My, large-scale, Greek Map would be likely to have few commercial outlets but I would just like to present a copy to the Mayor, leaving it as my legacy.
My Family Tree
Apart from mapping Paxos, the Author has another interest, namely investigating the Family Trees of his and his mother's families.
The former is the Bleasdale family of Furness, Barrow, Coniston, Fleetwood and later Blackpool starting with James Bleasdale, farm labourer living in Greengate, Barrow- in-Furness,1863 down through Charles Bleasdale 1833-1896 m.1863 Mary Jane Rawlinson and on to numerous offsprings, scattered all over the world, hardly any of which now bear the Bleasdale surname.
The Rawlinson root goes back a little bit further to Thomas Rawlinson c.1733-1811 Officer in the Custom Service at Rampside.
My Mother's Family is the Coopers of Finedon, Northants, starting with John Cooper, m. c.1785 Mary ? and down through William Arthur Cooper, shoemaker, 1872-1948 who m.1895, Frances Alice Ellson. They moved to Blackpool from where their descendants have also spread worldwide.
The Ellson root goes back to John Ellson whose son Thomas, labourer, 1785-1866, m.Elizabeth ? , living in Harlock's Yard, Finedon in 1851
I have amassed a vast pile of information and material about these families and if anyone out there knows, or has any further information about any of them, or thinks they might be connected in some way (or might even be working on a similar or parallel project) I would be delighted to hear from them.