Paxos News

SUMMER 2006 & WINTER 2006-7
PERSONAL REPORT

Well once again we had an extremely busy summer with Christine helping me with Travel à la carte work, taking on some visits and also covering for me when I was out of the office. But even so we managed to find time to meet up with old friends and make some new ones.

In September, Natasha moved up to ‘Big School’ and since then has been having a great time. The need for her to move took us completely by surprise as she wasn’t four until the end of October and we therefore thought she didn’t have to move until this year. Her class covers two school years and she is the youngest but she is doing really well and having extra Greek lessons so she can keep up with the Greek. And this is really paying off, as she is now speaking Greek and helping her Mum and Dad with theirs too!

We didn’t go back to the UK in October as we have been in the habit of doing, as the season on Paxos seems to be getting longer and longer and I was just too busy. In addition, as Natasha had just started ‘Big School’ it hardly seemed fair to take her away just as she was starting to settle in and make new friends. We did however go back for our usual trip over Christmas and the New Year and spent three weeks visiting family and friends, and of course also working!

By having Natasha at school here we are seeing things we have never seen before and witnessing the events of the island from a completely different angle. She was involved in the Ochi Day celebrations at the end of October (see separate article) and will be involved in the spring celebrations of Independence Day and Easter. This is really great for us as it means that we are meeting more and more Paxiots and realising just how very friendly and helpful they are.

Natasha has also now started ballet lessons and, in December, got her first taste of performing to a large audience. She was one of the four youngest children who went over to Corfu with a group from her dancing school to perform in The King and I. I must admit we did wonder whether she would be too nervous to actually perform on stage but she wasn’t and just loved it – and so did Mum and Dad.

And things are finally now really starting to move forward for us on the house-building front. More than a year after buying our plot of land, we have now received our planning permission and are about to start building our house. As I told you in the last edition of Paxos News, we are going to be building it the Greek way – a bit at a time starting shortly with the excavations! I am sure that many of you, especially those of you who are contemplating buying a property here on Paxos, will be particularly interested to hear how we get on. I have therefore decided to include a new series of articles in Paxos News: ‘Building a House the Greek Way’ and the first two instalments are included in this edition.

I shall of course continue to be the Travel à la carte Resort Manager for summer 2007 and Christine will also be working, acting as the representative for another tour operator on the island. She is now learning Greek with a friend once a week and is progressing really well.

So all this is very exciting and means that we are now really starting to put down roots on Paxos. We’ve had a wonderful winter here, with the exception of a few odd days, and are now looking forward to the spring. Spring is one of the prettiest times on the island with all the wild flowers and the colourful birds flying around. Add to these the wonderful clear blue skies and the sea and you can just imagine what it’s like.

I look forward to seeing you here again this summer.

Chris