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The Mahotella Queens shimmied and danced their way across the stage last night in the Dome tent, proving you are never too old to dance. In their beaded skirts, red hats, and "bafana bafana" (South African football team) T- shirts they got the crowd whooping and clapping and gave a great start to the festival. The Dome tent is in the Village du Monde area of Paléo and here you can find lots of interesting food from the "Afrique Australe" area such a fish barbecued on the spot and beer from Madagascar. In one of the round giant necklaces(huts) you can sit by one of the fires or outside amongst the long grass and listen to performers on a small stage  in an intimate setting. The long grass is a clever idea and was obviously well though out in the planning stage on what is usually a farmers field. If you would rather sit at a table to eat with waiter service you can find the Espace Gourmand just outside the Village du Monde. Over on the main scene Iggy Pop and the stooges proved that you are never too old to rock either..  An eclectic mix for the first night of Paléo and as ever a great example of what's to come.

There are a lot of events going on at this time of year in Nyon and the surrounding area. Here is a selection for Living in Nyon readers. Strawberry Fields Forever  The weather has warmed up over the past few days and the local strawberry farms are now open for self-service picking! Strawberry picking makes for a fun family day out. Rolle Ferme Pré-de-Vers 38 Driving from the motorway, exit Rolle direction Geneva. Monday - Friday 14:00 -19:00 Saturday and Sunday 10:00 - 17:00. Tel 078 751 7330 Genolier Christian Wyss - Full opening times and more info - click here Gollion (près Cossonay-ville) More info - click here  Friday 29th May  Neighbour's Day in Nyon and Prangins - Check out if there is an event near you or in your building! Second Hand Bike "Bourse" (sale)  Nyon Got a second hand bike to sell or want to buy one?  The annual "Bourse aux Vélos" in Nyon will take place in Nyon this Saturday, the 30th May in the Place du Château in Nyon from 10:00 -12:00. If you want to sell your bike and it is in good condition, take it along at 09:00, an estimated price will be given for it and then it will be put into the sale. If it is sold you can then pick up the cash (minus 10% commission for the organisers) between 11:00 - 12:00   Details - click here Usine a Gaz celebrates 20 years! Nyon's own music and cultural centre celebrates its 20th anniversary this weekend with a three day programme of music and events. On Friday the 29th, amongst many other bands Swiss singer Anna Aaron will be on stage and on Saturday 30th  Ebony Bones   and Andreya Triana from the UK will also be on the line up. More info here  Spring Market On Saturday the 30th May it's the Spring Market in Nyon from 07:00 - 20:00 Stalls in the centre of town. Music and animations. There will be a Caribbean theme to the market this year. Flea Market  On Sunday 31st its the flea market in Nyon along the lake side - Details here

The "one off" rock festival "Longirock" scheduled for 13 -15 May 2010 in Longirod ( a village up above Nyon - see previous post about the festival) will be rocking to the sound of big names as German band "The Scorpions" British Skunk Anansie ,  Black Rebel Motor Cycle Club are all scheduled to perform. In addition there will be country rock blues with American Calvin Russell . The Toy Dolls, Ska-P and the dynamic Gogol Bordello  (they took Paléo by storm the last time they played here in Nyon) are also in the line up. Although the programme of the entire festival has yet to be revealed, it is now possible to buy tickets for the three day event as a special Christmas promotion, CHF 59 for Thursday and Friday and CHF 69 for Saturday night or CHF 170 for the three nights. Check out the Longirock site for ticket information.

Visions du Réel ended its six day festival on Wednesday night with a closing ceremony at the Théâtre du Marens. Amongst the prizes awarded to films, the film  "Hula and Natan"  by Robby Elmaliah won the prize chosen by the "Jury of the young audience" and was one of those in the "top favourite five films" list of  Trish Thalman (see post here).    The film, " People I could have been and maybe am", won the prize  of the George Foundation and this film was  reviewed here on this site by Kathy Morf . The film  "A Still Jacket" (reviewed here), was given a special mention by Cinema Suisse Jury. The ceremony finished with the screening of the gloriously colourful film called "Gypsy Spirit" by Harri Stojka.  Photo above: Courtesy Visions du Réel: Michael Treves (from JMT film distribution) receiving the prize on behalf of  Robby Elmaliah, director of "Hula and Natan".   Here are some of the results of other prizes awarded for the full list see Visions du Réel site. The La Poste Suisse Grand Prix for best feature was awarded to " El Lugar Mas Pequeno " by Tatiana Huezo Sánchez, Mexico, for  "its evocation of the invisible presence of the horror of the recent civil war in Salvador, which also mangaed to avoid the traditional representations of  violence". This film also won the prize awarded by the Interreligious Jury for the best feature film. Above: A joyful Tatiana Huezo Sánchez receiving the top prize. Photo Courtesy Visions du Réel.  The La Poste Suisse Grand Prix for best director was awarded to Ikuisesti Sinun  by Mia Halme, Finland, for "the radical look at complex family relationships between children and their biological parents and their foster families". In the medium-length category, the two George Foundation Awards went to the best medium-length film " Ein Brief Aus Deutschland"  by Sebastian Mez, Germany, and to the best director in " People I could have been and Maybe Am"  by Boris Gerrets, Netherlands.. The Visions du Réel  Award for Best Short Film was awarded to " Anne Vliegt" by Catherine Van Campen, Netherlands. The City of Nyon's Audience  (A new prize) attributed to the section Etat d'Esprit  Swiss  Jarreth Merz to "An African Election"  showing the presidential elections in Ghana in 2008. For the full list of winning films see the Visions du Réel site. Facts about the festival : Despite the summer-like weather during the first five days of the festival. There was a "significant increase of 27% in weekly passes and the average attendance of 113 members of the public per session. The Doc Outlook-International Market (DOCM), which is a professional reference platform dedicated to documentary films, welcomed nearly 500 professionals this year (up 25% since 2009) who came to present their films and their projects, to make acquisitions, to  train, to meet and to exchange ideas.  Date's for your diary. Next year's  edition of Visions du Réel will take place from April 17 - 25 2012.

The Capitole Cinema in Nyon is offering five pairs of tickets to the next Monday Movie in English on the 14th July at 18:30. This film is the newly released Ken Loach film - "Jimmy's  Hall".  This film was selected to compete for the Palme D'or in the main competition section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. See trailer below. To be in with a chance of winning tickets, send an email with your full name, the name of the other person who will be accompanying you and the towns or villages that you both live in to  info@capitole-nyon.ch     Closing date Saturday 12th July 2014.

The eighth "Festival Festival du Film Vert" is touring towns and villages both in the Canton of Vaud, Geneva and neighbouring France over the next couple of weeks and there will be screening a selection of films in Nyon on Sunday 17th February. The first film to be shown at 10:00 is called "LoveMeat Tender" which questions the consumption of meat in our lives. At 14:00, the film "Le Dernier Carré de Chocolate" - "The last Square of Chocolate" -  gives the story behind chocolate looking at the "economic and political realities: corruption, assassinations imprisonment, civil war speculation and exploitation".  The final film to be screened at 15:30, is "Tout Cobayes?" - "Are we all guinea pigs?" which discusses the use of GMO's and nuclear power  All three films will  show at the Ferme du Manoir in Nyon (this is very near the castle) in Place du Château, Rue Maupertuis and there will be a discussion after each film( in French).  For full details of all the towns that are participating in this festival click here   and for the festival and film details click here

"This is the third time we have played here at Paléo and it's a great place, in fact, it's just beautiful" , said Alex Kapranos, lead singer of Fran Ferdinand who kicked off the first night of the festival in style. Indeed the lyrics to one of their new songs "Right thoughts, right words, right action" summed up the atmosphere, the crowd gave a warm welcome to the Scottish band, there was plenty of dancing and singing and all was all "right" with the night. The playlist included old favourites: "Take me out", "No you girls" and new songs plus a fun, short cover of Donna Summer's "I feel love".  A brilliant and tight performance from Franz Ferdinand and probably their best yet on the L'Asse grounds. See a glimpse of the concert and atmosphere in this two minute Living in Nyon video with a view of the crowd and the sky as the night falls, plus the band's final song (a drum ensemble!) Note: Video taken with Iphone, so the quality isn't as good if watched in "full screen" mode. Earlier on in the evening, Swiss rock band 7 Dollar Taxi from Lucerne played to an appreciative crowd in the Detour tent. Photo below of the band's lead singer. This band are beginning  to make a name for themselves and there were even some fans in the audience who had travelled from Lucerne to Nyon to see them play. The weather continued to remain perfect all evening for music lovers to wander from tent to tent to discover all on offer at Paléo this year. Note, the new Paléo App  Buddy (free to download) is a real handy aid with a  full list of the bands playing each night, the times and venues of every concert and a brief description of the music, all in English! There will be a further review of Tuesday's Paléo by Jonas Parson coming up here soon.   Photos below, the Paléo atmosphere in the sun.

Tuesday 20th and Friday 23rd December are the two dates this year when it's the "Nocturnes à Nyon" (late night shopping). The shops will be open in the town until 22:00 to get those last minute Christmas presents.  Meanwhile over at the Signy shopping centre on Saturday 17th December, between 10:30 and 17:00 and Wednesday the 21st between 14:00 -18:00, "Father Christmas"  will be on hand for those children who want to have a photo taken with the man himself. Two lakeside events this weekend plus other events . Saturday market in Nyon - Living in Nyon will be at the market on the 17th December with a stall selling the book "Living along Lac Léman" (please note there will be no stall in bad weather). The book is also available for purchase in Nyon in the "The Reading Duck" , Catambo, Payot Nyon, Payot Geneva, see here for all retail outlets. Also Saturday in Place St Martin in Nyon from 13:30 to 18:30  "Un million d'étoiles". L'Association Asolac and Caritas Vaud will be lighting hundred of candles in the square. Each candle bought by a member of the public will go towards the charity. La Côte column.  The Living in Nyon column in English  (that appears in in La Côte newspaper each Friday) is today entitled "Talking Turkey" . This is the last column of 2011 and the next one will appear on January 13th 2012. Note:  La Côte recently launched an "app" facility enabling subscribers to access local news and information from their phone. See site for more details. Saturday 17th it's the "Bains des Lumières" down by the lake. Soup and vin chaud will be served from 18:00 to 21:00  at the Plage de Trois Jetées.  There will also be a light display by Sophie Gayot. Free entry to the sauna at this event. See the site for details  Note: If bad weather on the night the event will be cancelled. On Sunday 18th it's the last Puces de Nyon (flea market) of the year also by the lakeside. An ideal opportunity to pick up an unusual Christmas gift from one of the stalls. Sunday 17:30  Carol Concert (in French) at the Eglise de la Colombiére in Nyon Noël en Choeur. Free entry Church Service in English at La Côte Anglican Church in Gingins.  Also on Sunday there will be an all age Holy Communion with Christingles followed by festive refreshments - mulled wine and mince pies - at the "stand de tir" further up the road. "Les Hivernales" the winter rock festival which takes place in several venues across Nyon in February revealed its line up this week.  With a mixture of bands from around Switzerland such as Portobello, The Bianca Story, The Mondrians and bands and singers from the U.S.A  such as Grouplove and Nadéah from Australia, the festival will take place from the 9th -12th February. Tickets go on sale  from the 21st December. See Les Hivernales for more details and ticket prices. More info on this festival coming up on this site.  See the video teaser below for an exerpt of the music and bands coming to the festival.

Happy New Year to all readers! The traditional Three Kings (galette des rois ) parade will begin at 18:30 today at the place du Midi (opposite the La Combe shopping centre) in Nyon. This parade is fun for all the family, it winds through the town and ends up at the Place du Château where a big galette/ cake (baked by local bakers) is served up to the town's citizens. Wrap up warm (although there is usually vin chaud on offer for adults at the end of the parade)! Photos below from a previous year's "galette des rois" event.

Photo above: Waiting for the results of  the vote on Sunday afternoon. There was a high voter participation (44.39%) in the local Nyon elections on February 28th to elect members of the municipality. There was also a good turn out (43.41% voter participation) to elect the 100 members of the town council. In the Federal vote there were four different initiatives proposed: 1. To automatically deport foreigners who commit certain crimes. 2. A ban on food speculation. 3. The building of a second Gotthard road tunnel 4. Tax breaks for married couples. Local participation in this Federal vote was also high at 62.12%.  See here for  general info (in English) on the result of this Federal vote.  In Nyon, three out of the seven members of the municipality, Daniel Rossellat, Fabienne Freymond Cantone (Socialist Party) and Stephanie Schmutz (Socialist Party) all kept their seats whereas there was not an outright majority for the remaining 4 seats and they are still up for grabs, consequently there will be a second round of voting for these seats on the 20th March. Photo above - Maurice Gay ( Centre Right party) waiting to be interviewed The Municipality is elected by majority vote whereas the Conseil communal (100 councillors) is elected by the proportional-representation system,  all of these councillors have now been officially confirmed and are on now listed on the town website. See here  Photo above - Olivier Mayor (Green Party) being interviewed Photo above - The results are announced The breakdown of seats for each party in Nyon council is as follows: 01 Parti Indépendant Nyonnais 15   02 PBD VAUD Centre Droit Moderne 0 03 Union Démocratique du Centre 13 04 Vert'libéraux 5 05 Parti socialiste 25 06 PLR. Les Libéraux-Radicaux 26 07 Les Verts 16

Photo above -  Sledding and skiing in La Givrine near Arzier If you  are about to move to the Nyon area, and want to know what it is like to live in the village of Arzier , then read this article by Laura Covino Kerpelman. She recently moved to this village in the Jura hills and has written about the beauty of the place, a little bit about the social life, she also touches on the current state of the housing market. You can read Laura's biography at the end of this post. Living in Arzier  Motivated by my love of nature and beauty, I recently moved to Arzier, and am very happy here. There are some wonderful views to be had living at a high elevation,  you can often see the sharp profile of the Alps against sunrises of delicate pale pink skies, and the majestic silhouette of the Mont Blanc emerging from the mist. All this beauty conveys a feeling of living inside a Ferdinand Hodler painting. Every season has its delights in Arzier Spring and autumn are colourful and cheerful. In summer, cows are out in the pastures, (you hear the sound of their bells all day long!) Hiking, biking, and VTT are popular sports nearly all-year-round. Winter is an especially festive, fun time. For winter sports lovers, Arzier is just minutes away from  the St.Cergue - La Givrine- La Cure area. This provides great opportunities to practice downhill or cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and dog sledding in a landscape of stunning beauty. Ski lessons and equipment rentals are available for all ages, and mountain restaurants offer fondues and other delightful regional specialities. A “Green” Attitude  The commune of Arzier-Le Muids includes two villages: Arzier and Le Muids. Both are part of the Nyon district. The village of Arzier is located at an altitude of 881 metres. One of its greatest advantages is that the village is on the Nyon-St.Cergue-La Cure train line, which connects Arzier up to St.Cergue, La Givrine and the La Cure  and down to the town of Nyon. It is then 17 minutes to Cornavin (Geneva train station) and a few minutes more to Geneva airport.  Arzier is an approximate 15 -20 minute drive distance from Nyon and is provided with a wide and well-maintained main road. The commune includes 71% of wooded areas, which makes Arzier a true nature lovers’ haven. Choosing to live here means embracing a whole living philosophy, and an attitude well tuned with the spirit of nature. Woods, wildlife,  snow and skiing are definitely a big part of daily life here!  Hedgehog crossing warning signs, a mountain train  breath-taking scenic walks through woods are just a few reminders of the place that nature occupies in this community. Road signs reflect the “eco-friendly” spirit of Arzier. Social Life and Attractions Arzier has a rich social life with its schools, local associations, a yearly arts and crafts market in early November, a ski-club, a badminton club, choir groups, different walking and fitness groups, the yoga center Yoga Arzier ,  and more. It also has a public library, and a day-care centre. On August 1 st , the Swiss National Holiday, the commune throws a very popular party for all the villagers and their friends, featuring great food and an impressive  firework show.  On December 1 st , Christmas trees are distributed to the village residents at no charge. Many local businesses have flourished here, and you can find out more by browsing the local website   Both Arzier and Le Muids have a few good shops and restaurants. A couple are listed below.  Photo above - The Delachaux Bakery Deliciously appealing, the Delachaux bakery and tea-room is right in the village centre. It is the place to stop at during the week or on weekend mornings after having picked up up your fresh newspaper for a treat of fresh bread, pastries, sandwiches and croissants. The owners, Mr. and Mrs. Delachaux also own the St.Cergue bakery  Open all week except Mondays.   Boulangerie Delachaux,  rue du Village 14, 1273 Arzier,  Tel +41 22 366 3940  Photo above - the  Auberge de L'Union Inn , Arzier Recently refurbished and tastefully decorated, situated in the village centre with an exceptional view of the Alps and Lac Léman, the Village Inn “ L’Union ” features a lovely hotel and restaurant. It is a wonderful place to try out if you wish to enjoy exquisite gastronomic meals in an peaceful, elegant setting, or to spend a few days in a relaxing environment. The restaurant is open all week and closed Sunday night, Monday, and Tuesday noon. Reservations are highly recommended. “L’Union” Village Inn, rue du Village, 1273 Arzier,  Tel +41 22 366 2504    www.auberge-arzier.ch The Housing Market in Arzier  Initially a small farming village, Arzier  soon became a preferred summer and winter holiday destination for Geneva-based families. Its proximity to the St Cergue and La Givrine ski domains, the great views of the lake and the Mont Blanc, as well as the extensive walking tracks network contributed to make Arzier a very attractive location for residential living. The village has been steadily expanding in these past few years. Compared to other locations in the area, the great advantage of the local housing market is that in Arzier you can still have more for less.  If you are looking for property in the area then Bellini Immobilier / Real Estate is the specialist of the housing market for Arzier and the surrounding region. The agency was started in 2005 by Milena Bellini-Sheppard, and proposes a wide array of customised services that cover real estate transactions including house-search for expatriates intending to relocate in the area,  legal counsel for foreigners who want to relocate or buy property in Switzerland. English, French, Italian are spoken.  Bellini Immobilier / Real Estate, chemin des Granges 19, 1273 Arzier, Tel +41 79 321 0164; milenabellinisheppard@gmail.com A lawyer by training, Laura Covino Kerpelman is a free-lance writer with work published in the  Environmental Law and Policy  magazine She is also an artist, and an art therapist. Her on-going projects are: producing an art book dedicated to the region she inhabits,. Laura has lived in Switzerland since 2005, and in Arzier since spring 2012. She has two grown-up sons, Michael and Alexander.   Contact: lkerp@bluewin.ch

Photo above: Deckchairs on the terrace of the "Balise", the weekend café, part of the Bains de Trois Jetées association. News: The café is now licenced to sell beer and wine!  It's a great place to have a drink overlooking  the lake. The association is also looking for volunteers to help serve and run this winter café (last day 22nd April). Open Days at two local schools Oak Hill school in Nyon will be holding an Open Morning on Tuesday 13th March from 10.00 until 11.00. Oak Hill is a local school which offers a half-day programme designed for students with learning differences such as dyslexia and/or A.D.D. (ADHD). There wil be a demonstration reading lesson. Everyone welcome. Full details see Oak Hill   See previous article on this school here . Lake Léman International School in Morges is also holding an Open Day  on Saturday 10 March  from 11:00 to 15:00 .The LLIS  School starts with Kindergarten (from 3 years old) to Primary School (11 years 0ld) at its premises at Morges-Gottaz. The Secondary school will open from the school year 2012/13.  See previous post here about this school. Full Moon Event Saturday  A  "full moon" fondue event  will be held this Saturday down by the lake organised by the "Bains des 3 Jetees" Association. This event has now become an annual tradition. The sauna is free for this evening only and will open at 18:00, the fondue begins at 19:00  Cost 19 CHF . Note: you must reserve your place for a fondue in advance by emailing info@bains3jetees.ch See site for full details Music this weekend from Classical to DJ sets Sunday 11th March (also by the lakeside) at the Villa Thomas the Chamber Choir Zeugma  under the direction of  Philippe Savoy with Florence Desbiolles-Binz and Juan David Molano at the piano. This choir of twelve professional singers will perfom a programme of romantic music (Schumann, Brahms et Huber) and modern music in the Salle Cortot in the Villa Thomas. The Villa Thomas is on the Route de Geneve and in a lovely lake side setting.  Entry 20chf  AVS  and students 15 CHF  Reservations  TEL. 022 994 23 60, info.nyon@cov-vd.ch  Click for site here Usine a Gaz music on Friday 9th March - Yves Jamait (French solo singer), Saturday 10th - Meian (electronic music group) followed by DJ set The Alkalines playing until 04:00 in the morning. See Usine a Gaz for more info.