It's both the Autumn fair and the the Fête de al Vigne (Wine festival) in Nyon this weekend, so there will be  lots going on in the centre of town. There are usually many   stands at the Autumn fair, all selling colourful autumn produce. This year, the theme of the fair is "Octoberfest"  so there will be Bavarian bands playing in the town! See here for more details. The Fête de la Vigne is only in its third year but it's becoming a big affair in Nyon. It officially opens tonight Friday at 17:00 followed by a concert, tomorrow Saturday the 5th October there a whole range of activities planned around this festival. See details here on the official website Photo below - Putting up the tents in the Place du Chateau in Nyon  on Friday  Getting ready for the Wine Festival  A reminder that UK artist Wayne Paul   (electro jazz hip hop dub) will be playing at the Usine A  Gaz tonight Friday 4th October.  Free entry!

New Market in Gland. From the 22nd April until November there will be a weekly outdoor fresh produce market situated next to the railway station in Gland. This market, is scheduled to be open every Wednesday from 16:00 - 20:00. This schedule has been timed to coincide with rail commuters returning home after work. Initially there will be around 12 stands, including a fishmonger, a butcher, a baker and a market gardener. Other fresh produce businesses will be invited to join the market in the future. Visions du Réel film shown in Gland this year Other good news for residents of Gland is that this year, Visions du Réel , the annual documentary film festival in Nyon (17th April -25th April), will screen some  of the fesitval's films in Gland. All films under the section "Grand Angle" at the festival, will be shown not only in Nyon, but also at the Théatre de Grand-Champs in Gland. Free "navette" buses will shuttle between Gland and the Village du Réel central area in a new partnership between the two towns. The shops and commerces of Gland will also participate in the festival's annual competition for the best "film related" decorated window. Members of the public and festival goers are invited to participate in the competition. Decorated fountains in Nyon Meanwhile, over in Nyon, check out some of the town's fountains which have been decorated for the Easter season by volunteer groups and local associations. At the moment, there is no water in the fountains and sadly one of the fountains has already been vandalised, however there are still a few around the town to see!

The March Living in the Know podcast is out and can now be heard online. These podcasts are a collaboration between the website Know it All Passport and Living in Nyon. In this month's recording, Lisa and Catherine do a quick analysis of the customs allowances for shopping over the border in France, and discuss how the rules and regulations have changed over the past couple of years. Lisa also takes a look at discount shops in France, while Catherine talks about a great App that lets you send FREE printed postcards within Switzerland. There will be a classical music concert tonight, Friday the 4th March at the Conservatoire of Western Vaud . To reserve a ticket call 022 994 2360 between 15:00 to 17:00 Details in poster below

There is no doubt that when many expatriates arrive here they are amazed by some of the prices of goods and services. However not everything is expensive, chocolate, wine and petrol are cheaper (than in the UK), but after a few years of living here I have learned that it is not worth comparing prices with whichever country you have come from. This really doesn't get you anywhere. Its best to grin and bear it and remember you will still have a very good quality of life here, which, of course is priceless. Having said that, if you are on a budget, here are a few tips to help. If you know of any more then let me know and I will add them. 1. Shopping in France Some products are much cheaper over in France, particularly foodstuffs so many people drive over the border to go to stock up on certain items. This is perfectly legal but there is a fixed amount of goods you can bring back. Don't be tempted to go over the amount stated as the border guards do make spot checks and will fine you if you have gone over your allowance. 2. Swimming Pool Passes. lf you are a resident of Nyon you can get entrance to the pool at a reduced price. Either take some form of proof of identity (with your Nyon) address on when you go to the pool, or go the Controles des Habitantes and get a special pass (carte de légitimation pour la piscine et la plage) 3. Second Hand Stuff For second hand furniture there are a few places to go to such as The Salvation Army (Armeé du Salut) in Nyon - a good place to pick up some bargains. 4. Buy and Exchange radio programme World Radio Switzerland the English speaking radio station, has a programme most Fridays mornings between 09:00- 10:00 (though not always during the summer), called "The Classifieds." Here you can buy and exchange second hand goods. Many a bargain has been picked up this way.There are always lots of expats on the move so its a very useful resource.

The Luna Tent has now been installed alongside the château of Nyon and the stage is set for the start of Luna Classics, the prestigious classical music and arts festival which will run from the 19th - 31st August in the town. The opening night's performance under the big "moon" tent will be Nelson Goerner on piano, Paul Meyer on clarinette with the Menuhin academy soloists and young talents of 2013 . There are still tickets available  for some of the main events and for performances in the Temple of Nyon. Tickets for concerts in the Temple start at just 30 CHF. Meanwhile, the annual festival of living arts (FAR) began in Nyon on the 13th August and continues until the 23rd at different venues around the town.  This year the festival celebrates its 30th anniversary. For the full programme see here Photo below  - FAR parade in the old town of Nyon. Next week the last of the local summer music festivals, the "Jval" Open Air rock and music festival will take place on the 28, 29 and 30th of August in the lovely setting of the vineyards in Les Serraux Dessus (near Begnins). Free navettes (buses) will be provided from both Gland and Nyon to this festival,  parking at the festival is restricted and car sharing is encouraged!  See here for map and times of buses.   A variety of acts are on the line up from the rock of Belgian band BRNS to Polar. See full programme here. Video below - Polar with " I want your soul"

There was a supreme irony to the scheduling of Visions Du Réel Film " Super Mom ". The 16:00 Monday screening (and the only one that week and on a school day) could possibly not have been a worse time for any mothers interested in watching it. Despite this, I sent a quick email to the mothers that I knew, telling them about the documentary. However it led to the unsurprising fact that most of them couldn't make it. They were too busy being super moms themselves either helping children with homework, picking children up from school or driving them to sports practices, or they were at work. Those that did make it, were a mum who had sneaked a guilty "hour away", a mum who had teenagers who could look after themselves and an American friend interested in the portrayal of her country. Nevertheless there was a full audience at the Salle de Colombière on Monday afternoon, all interested in director Sarah Klein's movie. The premise; candidates from different states in the U.S.A in preparation for the national final round of "Young Mother of the Year". Criteria for eligibility stated that they must be "married to a man, belong to a religious community and demonstrate a heightened commitment to her children". Hillary Clinton was once Super Mother of Arkansas. The film charted the progress of each contestant and filmed their story. We saw them preparing food for their children, praying with their children, looking after them, organising a complicated schedule of after school activities. Tonia, a contestant for the title of "Super Mom"- Photo Visions du Réel 2009 All of the mothers took the application process very seriously. We saw them getting their husbands to time their competition speeches down to the last second, to carefully packing their suitcases to attend the final in Nebraska. Some packed with elegant clothes, " I don't like to wear sweats unless I'm going to the gym." Others were more casual. There were some superb close up shots on detail, the fridge magnets in one home with photos of each child and the slogan "Look at me, I'm drug free!" The camera panning in on a calorie laden meal of fried chicken in one house to preparation of elegant Chicken Piccata in another. There were some great quotes too, on asked why she was entering the contest, one mum said "How often do you get a pat on the back for just being a mom?". And then they went to Nebraska. The competition loomed and these mothers, although they were looking forward to a few nights of uninterrupted sleep - a bit of "me" time, they couldn't relax. They were being judged by anonymous judges, they were being tested on their speaking skills, they were on show. During these three days they were also "entertained", by mature women in leotards high kicking and dancing, by the singing of State songs, and for some bizarre reason, by an inflatable doll dressed in dungarees. When it came to the final I imagine the whole audience wanted Tonia, the working class mother to win. The one who opened her heart to the camera, the one who had had a child when she was young and had to let own her mother bring her up. She was the underdog in class sense but she shone through top of her class in her sincerity. The woman who did win from New Hampshire was smooth, polished, and efficient. She also smiled very little, so little, a member of the jury had to ask her "Aren't you happy you won ?" The jury implied they had chosen her because she had made the momentous and admirable decision to leave a high powered job to look after her children (she had previously worked in Human Resources responsible for 1,000 people) so she really deserved the "supermom" prize. One of the contestants: Photo Visions du Reél 2009 Yet this film made one wonder if the winner's new title wasn't just a substitute position for the top job she had left. By the end of the film she was talking about possibly putting herself foward for public office. It's the discussions held after these films that can often prove to be the most interesting part of this festival. There were members of the audience who said they felt guilty at laughing at the perfect, middle class mothers because after all "we are probably all middle class here". No sex and bad food. There were others who were horrified at the food some of the mothers cooked for their family, "how can they be a supermom when they serve such disgusting food?", and one man in the audience bemoaned the fact that not once in the film was sex mentioned by any of the mothers. How on earth this could have been part of the judging process or qualifying criteria beggars belief. The same people who were complaining about the stereotypes of American women were playing up to their own European stereo-types. I was suprised no-one expressed shock at the mother who had all her children safetly strapped in car seats but continued to use her mobile phone phone while driving. Some in the audience were surprised that that at no stage did the judges see these women in-situ in their own home and with their children, surely a crucial part of any judging process. The music and sound on this film were excellent, other touches such as the credits and explanatory titles against a backround of flowery, homely wall paper were sublime. It must be hard for a director to sit in a room and face criticism after a film, one comment made from the discussion panel was that the film was "too polished". I disagree entirely. Having sat though many good films this week, but also some that were a) far too long b) far too pretentious or c) the subject matter not being evident until until half way though the documentary, it was refreshing to watch a film that was clear, concise and had a definite beginning, middle and end. An old fashioned concept perhaps, but so welcome. Even more so for a busy mother who loves documentaries, but is very short on time.

The ferries that criss cross the lake are now running on their full summer season schedule and there are many sailings that go over from Nyon to Yvoire in France (just a 20 minute ride away). So its perfectly possible to leave Nyon when the sun is setting, go over to Yvoire for dinner and then return for dessert or "digestif" in Nyon. Leaving Nyon as the sun goes down The ferry first makes a *stop at the tiny, but lovely village of Nernier. Then it approaches Yvoire If you haven't been to Yvoire it is well worth the trip as it is a very pretty mediaeval village. It has an abundance of flowers that decorate its streets, hanging baskets galore and is a member of the association "The most beautiful villages of France" . In the village you will find small individual shops, art galleries and plenty of restaurants. There is also the " Garden of Five Senses ", and there are guided tours of the village on certain days in July and August. The main pedestriansed road leading from the port to the centre of the village is steep, but it's worth the hike. Alternatively instead of going for dinner, you can go for a long leisurely lunch and then burn off some of the calories by walking to Nernier, the next village, and then take the return ferry back to Nyon. Returning to Nyon at night Please note. Yvoire gets very busy during the day, especially on summer weekends, so if you can, go midweek.Remember to take your passport when you board the ferry. Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) does have a recognised Swiss/French border in the middle of the lake ! *Not all boats stop in Nernier on every outbound or return trip, so check on the CGN website. There is an English language version but the timetable itself is a PDF file under "horaire été."

While the adults are having fun and the bands are rocking away on the main stages in Paléo, the children aren't forgotten over the six day fest. Not only is there is a dedicated area for them called "La Ruche" with performers and artistes, but next to this, an enclosed area called "Mielimelo". Although the area is for children, parents can stay if they want or leave their children* while they go and enjoy the music for a while. It's a no smoking and alcohol free zone, with games, seating areas, a mini theatre with daily performances and a dedicated group of volunteers who look after the children. "Volunteering at Paléo can often be a family affair" Isabelle Pirro - Supervising the MieliMelo area Supervising it all is Isabelle Pirro. She is in charge of organising the 8 adults and 32 adolescents (teenagers between the age of 14-18) who are there to entertain the children. Although she is head of it all, she stresses that it is the teenagers themselves who decide on the decor of the area, the games to be installed, and it's mainly the teenagers who play with the children too. The adults are there just to keep an eye on things. Like many volunteers in Paléo, Isabelle takes her holiday vacation throughout the Paléo week, (she works with children in a professional capacity) such is her dedication to the event, she has been volunteering at Mielimelo since 2001. "All the team meet in March and the volunteer teenagers make suggestions of what they would like to do for the area. We take their ideas on board and work with them. For example, some of them came up with the idea of using old oil drums to make into something for the area. So we got hold of some drums, we cut them in half, experimented a bit, styled them, painted them, found some plastic piping around Paléo for the inserts and we turned them into chairs!" "The teenagers decorated the area and introduced new games, we spend more or less a week getting the area ready. Some of the teenagers are children of adult volunteers working in a different area, working at Paléo can often be a family affair." "If parents want to leave their children here for a while, we take their mobile number and we give them a sticker with the name of their child on when they come to collect them, but ultimately its is the *parents who are responsible". "As the MieliMelo area is away from the main music stages, it is often a place that the parents appreciate too as it's quiet and is there is a comfortable seating area for the children to read or to "chill". "We can get busy though, particularly if there is a popular French band or singer on at the main scene and the parents want to see them! However we are not an all night childcare facility, we close at 22:00 during the week and 23:00 at the weekend and we don't expect parents to leave children here for hours and hours, we are volunteers after all! "When the children are here there is free "sirop" drinks and candy floss on offer. There's face painting and whole host of other activities, workshops and various theatre productions, such as a puppet production called " Cinderella and her Crocks", We have magicians too! If it rains, the theatre tent doubles up as shelter! Last night the area was full of happy children and over in the music area, happy adults too. A winning combination. Reviews of the first night's music coming up later. Shows for the children at Mielimelo this week Wednesday - Cinderella and her Crocks 18:30 - 19:15 Puppet show Thursday + Friday- David and Shane (magicians) 18:00 -18:30 Workshop 20:30 - 21:00 Show Saturday - Aurélien Donzé and Baobab Theatre 17:00 - 17:45 and 20:00 - 20:45 Sunday - David and Shane 16:45 -17:15 workshop 19:30 -20:00 show Note: one of the Magicians is English which might be useful for the workshop!

Nyon showed off the international diversity of its population on Sunday with the 5th annual "Interculturelle Day". This is a day dedicated to the immigrants who are very much a part of Swiss life but who also have a rich cultural heritage from their own country. So once a year they demonstrate some of this by dancing, preparing traditional food and offering it to the citizens of Nyon. Click on the "play" button for images of the event, they take just a few seconds to load. Make a Smilebox postcard Even though the weather was rather inclement, yesterday the marquee down by the Rive was full with locals and tourists who were clapping to the dancers from Kosovo, from Spanish speaking regions of the world, and other countries. They also got the chance to eat speciality food from around the globe too. Later on in the afternoon, over at the Conservatoire , there was a full house of adults and some children too who had come out to listen to Marie Hélène Piotet on piano and Francois Grin on Violoncello perform Sibelius, Grieg, Schumann with an encore of Rachmaninov. Under the gaze of the portrait of Alfred Cortot (Nyon's own famous pianist) and with the reflection of the lake in the salon's windows, it was a perfect way to end a day. Make a Smilebox postcard The audience appreciated the rich sounds drifting through the room and across the lake and the performers deserved the enthusiastic applause. Future concerts will be announced on this site. Once again Nyon has shown that this a town which is very rich in cultural diversity and a great place to live.

Fast following on Facebook of Nyon site! Just one week ago a new Facebook site (in French) sprang up called "T'es de Nyon si...." ("You are from Nyon if...") This site had a few hundred members in the first day,  seven days later it has over 4,800 members, many of these members are using the site to share their thoughts about living in the town, and in particular, posting their memories of Nyon in bygone days. From old school class photos, to photos of citizens dancing in the early days at Paléo (when the festival used to be held down  by the lake) these photos and comments are providing a fascinating glimpse of the history of the town and of life for its residents. From old shops to Hilary Clinton in Nyon Also on the site are members' memories of certain shops that are no longer around and photos of agricultural land near the centre of town which has now been built over with apartment buildings. There's even a post from one member saying they remember when Hilary Clinton came to Nyon in 1994! The site itself was created by a woman who lives in the town who goes by the name of Cy Din (a pseudonym of Cindy). The success of this site has now been featured in Tribune de Genève and other media publications. The photo above is an old postcard of Nyon from 1906 of the restaurant Café Nazarre (currently called the restaurant Maitre Jacques), as you will see, apart from the name, not much has changed from that date!

The Green Film Festival (Festival  du Film Vert) begins in Nyon this Thursday 12th March and continues until Sunday 15th March 2015. This festival features a variety of films focussing on "green" ie: environmental issues. There is an interesting selection from  Traders, a film investigating the world of  traders who deal in raw materials (to be shown Friday the 13th March at 18:30) to L'Afrique, le cuivre et les Vautours  a documentary that asks the question, "How much profit is fair?" investigating the world of Glencore and mining in Zambia (to be shown on Friday at 20:30), to Diesel, le Scandale Francais on the consequences of diesel fuel which was originally championed as good for the environment but now seen as causing health problems. The festival tours various towns and cities in Swiss Romande and it now in its 10th year. Most of the films to be shown in Nyon will be in French with the exception of one film - Chasing Ice - which will be shown on Sunday 15th March at 14:00 in English, with subtitles in French and German. Synopsis of Chasing Ice  - Acclaimed environmental photographer James Balog was once a skeptic about climate change and a cynic about the nature of academic research. But through his Extreme Ice Survey, he discovers undeniable evidence of our changing planet. In Chasing Ice, Balog deploys revolutionary time-lapse cameras to capture a multi-year record of the world's changing glaciers. All films will be screened in the Ferme du Manoir, in the Place du Château, (this building is on the corner of the square and Rue Maupertuis ).  All films will be followed by a 30 minute discussion.  For the full programme and timings of all films - see here Videos below - excerpts from Traders and L'Afrique, le cuivre et les Vautours

As the old local saying goes, “it's not Paléo if it doesn't rain”. This gives quite a good idea of the good-humoured enthusiasm of the crowd, who never see the rain as an obstacle for an evening of music and fun. Friday night was no exception to that, and after some rather heavy rain in the afternoon – just enough to get that authentic squelchy muddy feel when walking about – the rain visited the festival again a couple of times over the evening. Blonde and pretty, looking innocent in her flowery dress, Giedré started the evening with her oh so caustic songs set to gentle little tunes on the guitar. In stark contrast with her appearance and the music she plays (which seem to come straight out of some family music show), her texts explores just about every taboo possible, in a blend of lightheartedness and black humour. In times where the world around us seems like a very dark place, her completely off-beat songs are extremely therapeutic. She even manages to slip in a couple of slightly more politically charged songs along the way, albeit always in a very dark and absurd manner, like her song celebrating the fact that humans are the best at slaughtering the most animals. Next on were French moustachioed band Deluxe . Their combo of bright costumes  and electric mix of soul, groove and hip-hop were no match for the rain that started falling again during their concert. The crowd just kept on dancing, some donning colourful rain jackets, others just taking their t-shirts off (two quite radically different ways of keeping your clothes dry!), and encouraged by the high voltage performance of the sax player, who impressed by running and jumping all over the stage while playing rousing tunes, and the dance moves of the singer, bursting with energy and obviously having a lot of fun on stage. One of the effects that rain has on the concerts is a slight raise in audience for the concerts taking place under tents, namely the Club Tent and the Dôme. Some people who would have otherwise sat in the sun drinking beer seek refuge under one of the tents, and thanks to the rain discovering bands they probably wouldn't have heard of! Mik Clavet, announcer on the main stage (you can read an interview he did for Living in Nyon here), came on stage to announce British pop band Bastille with a parody of Martin Luther King's speech. “I have a dream, a dream of a Paléo where it wouldn't rain!” he exclaimed, before celebrating the resistance and determination of the crowd, “the rain preparing us and making us stronger to welcome the next band!”. The evening came to a close with a great discovery at the Détour, French band DBFC . They play a punchy mix of rock and electro, bringing together some heavy beats with guitar riffs and great drum action. The Détour and the Club tent are two stages that are always worth checking out, as they host smaller bands who often offer some very refreshing material, and they are places where you are sure of discovering a few unknown musical gems. With a large majority of bands playing at the festival for the first time, it is quite easy to completely renew your musical repertoire for the year to come. For people who don't have tickets to the Festival, or who wish to enjoy again one of the concerts that took place at Paléo, the festival has a partnership with Arte and they stream some of the concerts each day live online. So if you want to relax in the comfort of your arm-chair, you can enjoy Paléo live here. Don't forget that every morning at 9:00, Paléo releases 1500 tickets for that day! Get a last-minute ticket here.  There are still a few tickets left for Saturday night!