If you about to move to this area or have just arrived, there are various publications that can help you with info and advice, some of which I've listed below. In addition I've suggested a couple of other books, not really for their practical advice, but because one is interesting to read and the other has great aerial photos. Firstly, a magazine. It's called " Bon a Savoir" which means "good to know" Essentially it's a consumer guide magazine and compares and contrasts products and services in Switzerland. It's in French but the charts and graphs are well laid out and it easy to see the results of research on each product. This month's issue compares winter related products, from ski sun protection creams and goggles, to cough syrups and bubble bath. They include articles on various retail issues too so it's especially useful if you have just moved here and are stocking up on consumer items. The nearest comparison to this publication on the British market would be Which magazine. " Bon a Savoir" is monthly and available from newsagents at CH3.50 or on subscription. Secondly, two must have books. All though I have said it many times before, I can't stress how useful these two following publications are. Know-It-All Passport to Geneva, Vaud and neighbouring France by Lisa Cirieco-Ohlman. This is absolutely jam packed with very useful advice about living here and provides hundred of useful addresses, websites, and information. and Living and Working in Switzerland by David Hampshire. This is essential reading too, the photo below shows my copy which is an old one (it is now on its 11th edition ) Finally , The two books below aren't essential, but would make great gifts. The first one, How an Alpine Pass became a Country by Joelle Kuntz is interesting to read and calls itself an "Historical primer for English speaking visitors".There are sections on the history of Swiss towns including Geneva and Lausanne, and a section on how Switzerland became a player in the world economy. Joelle Kuntz the author, is a columnist with the newspaper Le Temps in Geneva. Finally there's the book Les Rives du Léman vue du ciel by André Locher. Translated, it means "The shores of Lake Geneva seen from the air." Its' a book that takes you on a photographic journey right around the lake. There certainly are some fabulous properties that hug this shore line and you get to see them via superb aerial shots. There's a photo of the UEFA building on the outskirts of Nyon, the Bonaparte family chateau and the Chateau Worth in Prangins, (this chateau which was built by the Parisian couturier Worth back in 1900). There's also a shot of Michael Schumacher's new place in Gland, (there looks to be plenty of space for parking).....

November in Nyon and area. Events to look out for Two events next week coming up next week Sat 22nd November Bollywood Dance Spectacle. India comes to Nyon! The Mayuri Dance Group will be performing at the Aula/Marens school at 20:30 to support The Maisons des Enfants. Indian "finger food" served on the night. Tickets CHF 25 and available at Disque Service Tel :022 361 7318 or at the Maison itself 022 361 6378 The Maison des Enfants is a charitable association set in a large house just on the outskirts of Nyon and is open for all children from age 6 to 12. Here children are looked after by professionals and volunteers and all free of charge. The house has a large garden, so the children can play outside and create handicrafts, have the use of use computers, etc. Such is the popularity of the scheme the number of children using the "Maison" has grown considerably (up to 40 a day) over the last year. To cover the costs of the Maison they organise various fund raising activities, and this one on Saturday promises to be a good night out whilst supporting a worthy cause. Also next week Friday 21st Novemb er The small music club Club 1306 down in the old town will have a performance by the Michel Tirabosco Trio at 20:30. Further details see Club 1306 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bazaar On Saturday the 8th November the International Women's Club of Nyon will be holding their biennial, day long Bazaar in the Salle Communale in the centre of town. This is a big charity raising event and well worth attending. More information to follow. Theatre 4-8th November Geneva English Drama Society will be performing the modern comedy "Game Plan" by Alan Ayckbourn at the Théâtre de Terre Sainte in Coppet. Tickets on sale Theatre in English website from the 14th October. Sunday 26th October sees the monthly flea market down at the lake. Thursday 30th October there will be a networking and socialising opportunity as Executives International will be holding a business luncheon at the Hotel Beau Rivage in Nyon. Firday the 31st October there will be live music down at the Usine a Gaz in Nyon with William White (soul/folk music). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Past events The weather has started to get a little chillier in the evenings and Autumn is now definitely here. However there are some colourful seasonally related events in the Nyon area to brighten up the shorter days. Yesterday (the 18th September) saw the start of La Semaine du Goût (Taste week). Ten days of various food related events across the whole of Switzerland until the 28th of September. There are activities happening around this area from wines tastings in the village of Begnins, tastings of exotic confectionary in Coppet, to cooking courses in Bogis Bossey. There is a full guide with comprehensive listings of what's on where in Nyon tourist office. Next Saturday the 27th there are two events that are great to go to in the same day. First of all in the morning it's the "Desalpes" in St Cergue. This is when the farmers bring down their cows from the mountain to winter them in the barns. The cows with bells on (of course) are decorated and paraded through the village, led by the farmers dressed in traditional Swiss costume. There is folk music, Swiss flag turning (this is an art), stands with food and wine for sale. Here is the link to the information flyer St Cergue, it's in French but easy to understand. At the bottom of the flyer there's a list of the trains that leave Nyon to go up to St Cergue for the Desalpes. Taking the train is easier than trying to drive as the road can be busy that day. It's a great event to take children and visitors, but you will have to get up early, the first lot of cows descend at 08:30, there are others later in the morning but then it ends. Remember to wrap up well, there is quite a bit of standing around and it's often a few degrees colder up in St Cergue but the trip up there is worth it. Once you have been up to the Des Alpes then come back down in Nyon for not one, but two Autumn fairs which will be going on in the town! The first one is the town one which is always a very colourful event with vegetables, fruit, and a variety of stands with produce. There's usually someone serving hot soup too. This year I notice there will be a decorated pumpkin competition in Place St Martin. For the second fair, see the end of this post. Also today 19th September until the 19th April next year, the Chateau de Prangins has a new temporary exhibition called "A La vôtre/Zum Wohl! Salute! about the history of beverages in Switzerland since the end of the Middle Ages. Here's the information below from their brochure. "What did wine taste like under the Ancien Régime? When do the first mineral waters date back to? Who benefited from phylloxera and the subsequent devastation of the vineyards? Since when has milk been considered a typically Swiss product? There are a host of questions which this exhibition attempts to answer by a captivating display of 150 works of art and everyday artefacts, some of which are quite unusual. In keeping with the theme of the exhibition a choice of vintage drinks will be offered: come and try out maidenhair cordial, hypocras cordial and other beverages! From 2.30 to 4.30 pm at weekends a wine-waiter/guide will be there to serve you with both refreshments and information." It sounds good! Finally, two other events to look out for From the 26th to the 28th over in Rolle there will be the "Journèes des Plantes". An exhibition of plants with advice given by professional gardeners. Plants, bulbs and flowers for sale too. Friday 12:00- 19:00 Saturday 09:00-19:00 Sunday 09:00 -18:00 More details jardifanclub.ch/ There's an Autumn fair in Nyon on Friday 26th September and Saturday 27th September in the Salle de la Colombiere in Nyon from 10:00-16:00 There will be a bistro, a variety of stalls, Indian food, home made jams, hand painted furniture, haute couture, including a special appearance by Hester Macdonald the Garden Doctor from World Radio Switzerland. Saturday 6th September A little further away from Nyon - On Saturday September 6th Morges tourist office is organising a "Stroll along the vineyards of Morges": A route with different stops in four wine cellars where you can taste wine and regional meals in a magnifique landscape The price of CHF 50.- per person includes - Wine degustation - Savouring meals in different wine cellars - Explanations about the wine growing, music, contest - wine glass & wine glass holder - BAM train ticket See Morges Tourist Office --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tickets have now gone on sale for the Geneva Amateur Operatic Society's Really Youthful Group performance of "Guys and Dolls". It's in English and you can book online if you go on their website. The production will take place here in Nyon on Friday 29th, Saturday 30th August and Sunday 31st. These Really Youthful shows are great fun, very well produced and are always guaranteed to give a good afternoon (or night) out. More details on the production and photos to follow in the next few days. Down by the lake this weekend (August 23/24) there will be a two day Brocante (Antique/Second Hand) market on Saturday 09:30-20:00 and Sunday 00-09:30 -19:00 There will also be a"Mome" market in the centre of town. This essentially is for young children with various activities planned from around 09:00 onwards. There will even be a little disco for all budding dancers! --------------------------------------------------- Paleo - One of Switzerland's biggest rock festivals is now over boo hoo! But don't forget Rive Jazzy still goes on until the 10th of August. F ree music performed by bands on stages in the open air with a variety of styles from modern to trad jazz, Eastern European etc. It all happens down in the old town and on the "Rive" (by the lake). Check out the website for the full programme. Great to go have a meal, or a drink and simply soak up the atmosphere. Nice. Fete de La Musique This Saturday 21 June, it's La Fete de La Musique in Nyon. Lot's going on for different musical tastes, whether you prefer classical, reggae or rock. It all starts at 12:00 and goes on until the wee hours. It's also the "longest day" so it's perfect timing. There's also a Howard Productions theatrical production of William Shakespeare's "Merry Wives of Windsor" going on over at the Chateau of Prangins on the 19, 20 and 21 June. Here's the programme for the music festival. 1 Château a: Place du Château 12h00 - 23h00 classique, jazz, rock, reggae, jazz rock, pop rock b Cour intérieure 16h00 - 23h45 chanson française, pop rock, bossa funk blues 2 Esplanade du Musée Romain 12h00 - 23h00 accueil et bar des musiciens 3 Place du Marché 14h30 - 00h30 pop, rock, funk jazz, pop rock, trip hop, Jimi Hendrix tribute 4 Place de St-Martin *Battle Of The Bands* 10h00 - 24h00 pop folk acoustique, rock, rap, funk 5 Temple 10h00 - 21h00 chorale, classique 6 Usine à Gaz 20h00 - 04h00 bal 7 La Combe scène découvertes 12h00 - 17h45 *Gymnase et Ecole Moser*, rock, britpop 8 Gymnase de Nyon *Nyoncore* 14h00 - 01h00 rock metal, funkcore, metalcore, punk There will be classical music too in the Abbeye de Bonmont.

In February 2015, businesswoman Susan Inglis posted a request on " G eneva Womenpreneurs" , a Facebook group for women running small businesses in the Geneva and the Vaud area. The request asked if they would like to meet up and have a chat about the challenges they faced. At that first meeting, 15 women arrived, they introduced themselves and their businesses, three months later they are now on their fourth "meet up" and the group continues to flourish. Living in Nyon spoke to Susan to find out more about the Womenpreneurs' group, Susan's own business and how she is finding life in Switzerland after moving here from Scotland. Susan "Before moving with my partner to Switzerland in 2012 (from Glasgow), our initial plan was to stay here for just two years but we knew within two days that we wanted to stay. Very quickly I knew I loved Nyon and felt at home immediately. I am originally from a small town like Nyon called Oban  on the West Coast of  Scotland. Oban is a town surrounded by the sea and hills (see short video below) whereas Nyon with its lake and mountains, is equally beautiful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foVfFZVIrQU I moved here with my partner for his job and as I knew I wasn’t going to meet anyone sitting at home, I joined Nyon tennis club . I love tennis and through the club have built great friendships; there is a fantastic little community within the club. We try to support as much as we can with everything that is going on in Nyon: wine tasting at the château, Saturday food markets, outdoor cinema, great restaurants, music festivals, theatre and lots more, for a small town there is a lot happening. Learning French Although I am used to speaking a second language (I learned Scots Gaelic at school), I really started as a beginner learning French so initially I took some p rivate lessons and then moved on to group lessons organised by Ecole Club Migros. After six months of settling in and enjoying a fantastic summer here, I decided to give my existing business "The Purple Thistle" a try here in Switzerland. I create cushions, accessories and gifts using Scottish Harris Tweed, this material is steeped in heritage and woven by skilled and experienced artisans. I had kept some of my original customers from the UK, but didn’t really develop anything until last year I ran a stall at my first market in Nyon. I met some great ladies at this market and we all attended the Christmas circuit of fairs together and became enthusiastic. Things then fell very quiet in January.  As I used to attend a monthly “makers" market in the West End of Glasgow, where we also visited  Edinburgh & St Andrews, I hadn’t realised how much I missed these markets and the opportunity to meet others in business. Forming a group for other business women So at the end of January, I posted that comment out on the Womenpreneurs site  and I haven't looked back. We now have our own group on Facebook with over 60 members and continue to help each other to develop our businesses! As that first event proved such a great success we realised that we all missed having a regular market to attend. Markets are essential for local creators and makers to develop relationships with their customers. So myself and two other business women, Debbie Willis from "Bedes Beads" and Alison Philips-Pearce from "Brit Chic" began talking about how we could change this and UpMarket Markets was born, affectionately known as UMM! The first UpMarket Markets will be held at the Hotel Beau Rivage in Nyon on Saturday 30 th  and Sunday 31 st  May 2015 from 10:00 - 16:00 All vendors have to either have made or designed their product to be able to join UMM. We have a great range of products and produce ranging from cushions to handbags, jewellery to children’s clothes, there is even a local farm which will be selling their produce on the day.  There will also be a children's creative ‘Make & Take’ area and ‘Gateaux & Cadeaux’ where you can enjoy a coffee with a slice of homemade cake overlooking the lake at the same time! So after three years in Nyon I really feel I am growing some roots here now. My little dog Belle loves it too, she comes everywhere with me. Who knows what the future will bring but I am certainly going to enjoy this town and Switzerland as much as I can!"

Nature Celebrated in Nyon As part of the Nature festival, which will take place throughout Switzerland from the 24 th to the 26 th of May, the town of Nyon is organising a day of festivities around nature in the town. A photo contest called “Unusual nature in Nyon” will also take place. The area behind the station (where the “Roulotte” is) will be invaded by the local fauna and flora on Saturday 25 th of May, from 10:00 to 17:00 . Different recreational and educational workshops will be pffered to the public, in collaboration with Equiterre , an association which promotes sustainable development. Learn how to grow vegetables on your balcony! Passionate guides will show you how to grow a vegetable patch on your balcony, build a shelter for local animals (which might do them some good with the terrible weather we've been having lately...), or help develop the biodiversity in the town. An urban safari will take you on a tour of Nyon's hidden nature, local bee-keepers will be giving honey tastings, alongside several other activities. Musical interludes will punctuate the day. Don't miss the Musical Salad at 11:00! Come and collectively prepare and enjoy a salad made from unsold products recuperated from supermarkets. There will be games, exhibitions and more. You can find the whole programme here . Most of the workshops and the urban safaris require booking. You can do this on the Equiterre website   and on the fête de la nature website , and on the day depending on availability.   Get to know your neighbours on the 31 st of May! The Fête des Voisins, which has become a classic all over Switzerland since it started a few years ago, is the best occasion to get to know your neighbours, have a nice time with the ones you already know, and make life in your neighbourhood livelier and more fun! This is also a great way to improve your French as practice makes perfect. So why not organise a party, a barbecue or a drink in your neighbourhood? You can find more information, including the forms to fill in to get free t-shirts, balloons and flyers to host a great event on the  Nyon website . “La fête des voisins- Immeubles en fête” started in Paris in 2000, and has since then spread all across Europe. Each year, several million people take part in this event. This year, 35 Swiss towns and villages will be celebrating friendly relationships between neighbours. Here is a translation of the 10 tips for a great party, which you can find on the Nyon website 1: Get the poster/invitation leaflets for your neighbours 2: Put the poster up in the entrance if you live in a block of flats or slip the leaflets in your neighbours' letterboxes if you live in houses. 3: Get together with some other neighbours to organise the day! Don't prepare everything on your own, but get involved with others. This is the best way to get the most people to come to the party. Preparing it together is already part of the event! 4: Find the right location. Host the party in a public location (alley, courtyard, garden...), as this will be less intimidating for people who don't know many of the neighbours. If you have any questions regarding security or anything else, don't hesitate to call the town administration: (Nyon : 022 363 82 82 – Prangins : 022 994 31 27). 5: Get installed Think about what you might need (tables, chairs) to install food and drinks and so people can sit down if they want to 6: Food and Drinks! Try and get everyone to bring something for the party- but have things to drink and a few snacks. 7: Don't forget kids and the elderly Kids are always ready for some fun, don't leave them out when you organise the event! Older people aren't usually used to these kind of events, and might not dare come. Try and encourage them to participate. 8: Decorate the party with tablecloths, balloons, posters... for a fun and friendly event 9: Most important of all: get to know each other! On the day of the Fête des voisins, don't stay on your own or with the people you already know: go and meet the other neighbours. Be the first to make contact, present yourself to others. Remember, the idea is to get to know your neighbours! Dont miss out on the occasion to get to discover other cultures, social origins or age groups! 10: This is only the start! This event is a state of mind, a different way of seeing the town and the community, which can spread! Conviviality can produce common projects, better relationships, which can help to reduce isolation, anonymity and indifference, and make your neighbourhood a better place to live in.

Holiday apartments, party venues and a reminder of events coming up over the weekend. Also, the pool is now open! If you are short of space at home but would like to invite friends and family from overseas to visit you, why not check out some of the holiday apartments and houses in the area that can be rented on a weekly basis?  Nyon tourism has a list of these places and they vary from chalets in Founex, to apartments in Givrins.  You can see the list here. Do you want to hold a party, an event, a meeting with friends, colleagues, or simply have a get together? Did you know there is a handy little guide called "Guide des Refuges et Salles - Edition Vaud 2010-2011"? In this guide there are over 380 venues listed in Vaud, from buvettes to rooms to refuges. "Refuges" are often situated in lovely countryside settings and are great if you want to make a bit of noise at your party and don't want to disturb the neighbours ! Each venue comes with a description of its facilities ie: whether there is a barbecue, parking, water, electricity, refrigeration, heating, wc, etc. In some of these places bunks are provided. Here is the link to the website  for "refuges" which covers many cantons across Switzerland, just click on Vaud for info on this area. Events over the next few days in the area .  It's all happening in Coppet A reminder that it is the big  "Giron des Musique de la Côte Ouest" in Coppet this weekend with music competitions on Saturday, jazz, blues and rock and roll in the evening and on Sunday a grand fanfare musical procession through the old town of Coppet at  10:30 See the programme here for all details of this big event.  Photo below - a member of the "fanfare" Also don't forget "The Producers" the Mel Brooks musical is on this weekend and next in the Theatre du Marens in Nyon. see previous post for more details. The Outdoor Pool is now open!   Nyon's lovely outdoor swimming pool at Colovray is now open for business. There is a reduced price for Nyon residents (take along some form of identity and proof that you are a resident to take advantage of this). If you think you  may be using the pool a lot over the summer season, it could be well worth you buying an abonnement (a seasonal pass). Opening times of the pool here

Now into its 12th year, the Salamandre (Salamander) Festival is a three day festival and that attracts thousands of nature lovers and visitors of all ages from French speaking Switzerland. The festival's aim is to increase public awareness about the fantastic diversity and fragility of the natural world.  Over the three days, there will be a diverse programme of events: exhibitions, films, workshops for children and storytelling. The festival takes place in the Beausobre building in Morges (accessible by both car and public transport) and will be open on Friday and Saturday from 10:00 -19:00 and Sunday from 10:0 -18:00 . More info here This year's theme is  "Forests" and aims to show only to show the beauty and diversity of forests but to underline the difficult balance between man and nature. Other key features are of this year’s programme are discovery labs  & workshops for children, interactive games and crafts galore to learn more about the secret life of the forest  There will be an art gallery with almost thirty Swiss and French artists displaying their work: Watercolours, sketches, oil paintings, sculpture and photography.Films on the big screen. Local organisations from museums to local charities and national parks will be at this festival along with artisans and local produce.

There is a  good weather forecast for Nyon for the next few days, here are a few suggestions of some outdoor activities. Note: most shops will be closed on Thursday 5th May due to the Ascension holiday and many government offices will be closed on  the 5th and 6th May . Interested in hiking? Take a look at some of the local hiking suggestions here. Click on the link of each suggested hike and you can see details such as the duration, the distance, the difficulty of the walk and the start and end point. Outdoor Pool Opens The outdoor swimming pool in Nyon opens on the Wednesday 5th May and will remain open until the 4th September. In honour of Mother's Day on Sunday 8th May, there will be free entry to the pool for all mums accompanied by their child (or children). Full details here Zumba Outside From the 5th May to the 29th September there will be Zumba classes held in in the open air at the la Jetée bar lounge in Nyon. Full details here  Jardins en Fête in Coppet  From Friday 6th  - Sunday 8th May the Jardins en Fête will take place in Coppet from 10:00 - 18:00 This event is dedicated to plants and garden art and is is set in the lovely grounds of the Château of Coppet.  With over 150 exhibitors of all things garden-related there will be something for everyone. Full details here Check out the Swiss Gardening School  at stand number 58, you can find it beyond the pond on the left.

The CGN summer time table came in to effect on  Saturday the 23rd June. There are now many sailings scheduled across and along the lake at this time of year. There are also other special themed sailings on offer including the "Panoramic Cruise" which begins in Geneva in the morning and then stops at Versoix, Coppet, Celigny, Nyon, Yvoire, Rolle, St Prex, Morges, St Sulpice onto Lausanne ending up in Evian in France.   There are  lunchtime cruises and a dinner cruise too. The latter leaves  Geneva from the Jardin Anglais at 18:45  or the Paquis at 18:55 arriving back just after 22:00. There are gourmet cruises, vineyard cruises and many more trips on offer. It's worth getting hold of the new CGN timetable  to see the range of cruises available.  The summer timetable  lasts until the 8th of September. "Two for One"   To celebrate 140 years of  CGN the company is offering "a two for one" deal until the 31st July. If you make one trip on a CGN boat during that period, you will then be offered a voucher (not valid until 0900 the following day) to buy two tickets for a future cruise for the price of one ticket! The voucher is valid until the 20 October. See CGN for full details. Note some of the site is in English but the "two for one" deal is only written in French. Swing Music in Nyon  Tonight  Friday 28 June, the Swing Messengers will be playing at the 1306 Club in Nyon from 20:30.  Full details s ee 1306 Club site here . Free entry (a hat is passed round for the artists at the end of the evening).

Every two years the International Women's Club of Nyon holds a big bazaar in the centre of Nyon. The bazaar is a great opportunity to buy second hand English books, DVDs and CDs  (there is always a very good selection!) and to stock up on toys, games, brocante, Christmas decorations and lots more, to have a coffee and cake or lunch and meet some new faces in the pop-up Bistro. This year's Bazaar will be held on Saturday the 12th November from 10:00 - 16:00  This bazaar raises thousands of francs for both Nyon and local charities and charities further afield. The bazaar is held in the Salle Communale in the centre of Nyon. If you are new to the area, this building is in the Place Perdtemps car park.

The Visions du Réel Festival starts today in Nyon and we have two pairs of tickets up for grabs for film screenings for readers of this site.  Just email cnp at bluewin.ch with your name and telephone number by 22:00 on Friday 20th April.  Names will go into a hat and 2 lucky winners will be informed on Saturday a. m 21st April.   Every year, Living in Nyon writers review a selection of films on the festival  programme and today we begin with the first review of the film "Virgin Tales" by Suzy Nelson-Pollard.  Suzy is currently a student of International Relations at the University of Geneva. Read her first review below. "Virgin Tales", directed by Mirjam Von Arx , to be shown on Saturday at 17:00 (Théâtre de Marens) and Sunday at 10:00 (Salle Communale) is a Swiss made documentary about a family of evangelical Christians in Colorado. The Wilson family, who have seven home-schooled children, are vocal and influential within the local community, spreading the message of purity. So vocal indeed that for around a decade they have organised annual purity balls for the daughters and fathers of the community, a chance for both to pledge to protect and guard the daughters’ virginity until their wedding days.  Religious middle America is an easy bandwagon for a European filmmaker to jump on. To many moderate Europeans, scenes of the tea party movement or politics entwined with religious rhetoric provoke incredulous disbelief, or even just plain mocking. But this is no sensationalist, hate-mongering portrayal of those “crazy Americans over the ocean”, the merit of this film comes from the family itself. The Wilsons are generally likeable, (perhaps with exception to the father, a tad creepily overzealous when talking about the responsibility to protect his daughter’s purity), the children are loving, caring, incisive, mature and extremely intelligent. "Purity brings joy" The focus is on the third daughter Jordan, a beautiful, poised and extremely bright 20 year old, waiting to follow her older sister’s footsteps in to marriage. Jordan is clearly full of contradictions. She speaks confidently about how “purity brings joy”, but looks positively bored to tears waiting for her “wonderful husband to arrive” and to move her in to the next chapter of her life. She talks about how she looks forward to being a mother and a wife most of all, and asks “why would I spend thousands of dollars on an education that I’m not going to use?”. As time goes by however and the wait gets longer, she starts a course in etiquette for young ladies, which by the end of the documentary blossoms, proving that she has quite the talent for business that an education may have boosted. One of the most interesting things about the community that was highlighted in the film was the use of symbolism to encourage purity in teenager years. Young daughters wear long white dresses to the purity balls and dance around a cross. Sons have coming of age or manhood ceremonies in which they are presented with a sword and even armour, so that they can fight their enemies (such as inappropriate thoughts and desires). A scene at the purity ball shows a father slipping a ring on his daughter’s engagement finger, telling her that the ring was a symbol of purity, and that she would never regret saving herself for her wedding day. The young girl looked about twelve years old, and one cant help but wonder if there would be a moment in her life when she wasn’t under the “protection” of a man, be it her father or husband. Although it's a subject that has been documented many times, this film offers an interesting and balanced insight in to not only the politics and ceremonies, but the thoughts and emotions of one of America’s most important religious groups today. For ticket sales, programming and all information on the film documentary festival click here for website  (in English)

There will be an Easter Fête at the Moulin de Chiblins on Saturday 28th and Sunday March. Decorated eggs, Easter farm, jumping rabbits, sheep and more! This old water mill has now been turned into an interesting agricultural museum full of vintage tractors and farming implements, it's worth a visit! The museum is on the road to Gingins, turn left after the second roundabout after Signy centre. See map here

El Gran Circo Pobre de Timoteo (Timoteo's Fabulous Ragged Circus) by Lorean A. Giachino Torens, Chile. Screening today (23.02.13) at Capitole 2, 14:00 Buy tickets to this film here Lorena Giachino Torens's documentary captures the remaining vestiges of a colourful and ragged circus that has spent the last 40 years traveling around Chile. The troupe is made up of a group of transvestites who have coalesced around René, the circus owner and irrevocable centre of their marginal community. Full of joy and threaded through with melancholy, documents a wonderful way of life that is approaching its end. Against the backdrop of faded circus materials, tatty caravans and the Chilean mountains, we see the joyous group preparing for shows, eating together and sharing problems – we are introduced to their family through their everyday lives. The ordinariness of life in caravans, putting up tents and rehearsals sits nicely beside the glamour of performance. However, this great motivating factor, this purpose, could soon no longer be available. Times are tough. Less people are coming to see the show – something we are reminded of as discounted prices are posted at the circus and René worriedly completes the accounts. It is understood that times have changed, that 'the audience is less naive', as one member of the circus puts it. It is a reminder that today's society seeks other forms of entertainment, that the time of being entertained by simple things has passed and that people have other necessities to direct their money towards. Yet René is determined to remain authentic and true to his circus, to not become 'bombastic' in any attempt to attract more people. A new tent is purchased, but as René states: 'Lots of light and lots of paint – that's all we need'. It is their bawdy and subversive performances that brings in the people that do come. There is a sad acceptance, a philosophical bravery captured in the documentary. René is well aware that 'everything in this life ends'. René is a hero for those who live on the sides of society, or on stage. His efforts to save this community and way of life in the face of an inevitable end is moving. Before them lies an unknown, far removed from the glamour and passion of performance, the bright lights and make-up and the thrill of the stage. It is acknowledged that 'An old man in a circus just makes a fool of himself', yet ex-circus people end up selling popcorn or magazines – an outcome that is recognised as sad by all. For while these people are accepted in the circus and have an important place within it, they are not as accepted in the outside world – this is seen in the difficulty of obtaining a Catholic priest to perform a service asking for blessings for the circus and a good tour – yet another attempt at prolonging their world. Tatty and ragged, but full of life, Timoteo's Circus presents tender hope in the face of adversity. So too does this documentary – against the bright materials, city and mountain backdrops we see this microcosmic universe play out. And we hope that it lasts a little longer and that René and his fellow artists die in a manner that they would wish – onstage.