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There will be a Winter Fair on Friday 7th November and Saturday 8th November at the Hotel Beau Rivage in Nyon from 10:00-17:00 Free entry  - Winter gifts galore, tombola, homemade gifts, food and more.

On Sunday November 1, the 9th edition of the Léman International Fair organised by Léman Events will open its doors to the public from 11:00 -17:00 with free entrance. This annual event, with over 100 exhibitors and around 2,000 visitors offers a large scale of products and services in English. Nine years ago this “international” day started in Morges in order to help the expats with their integration. The Fair expanded each year, moved to the Beaulieu Exhibition Centre and evolved into an informative day for the entire international community with the aim to connect people and businesses. Each year a new focus is added to the initial setup to keep the fair interesting and fun. In addition to the annual setup, this year an “Excellence Area” offers a choice in financial services, watches, real estate, skin care, interior design, special sports, clinics, etc. The Beau Rivage Palace will host a free champagne bar and a café area. A book exchange will also be organised by the Scots Kirk to finance one of its charities. Treasure or Trinket? Another special novelty at the fair this year. Visitors can bring their Art items, jewellery and other objets d’art to the Fair and have them valued by specialists of Bonhams Auction House Geneva. They will answer the question: Is it a Treasure or a Trinket? Note: Living in Nyon will not be at the fair this year, however " Know-it-all passport" will be there on stand number 67.   Why not go along and say "Hello" to friendly, fellow podcaster Lisa Cirieco, founder of the Know-it-all-passport book and website?

If Reggae's your thing and you are interested in all things Jamaican, then did you know there is a Jamaican Association in Switzerland? Next Saturday 16th there will be a Jamaican party with food over in the Salle Communale in Eysins (just outside Nyon) For more info Tel: 076 575 1109 Below - Recent views of Nyon. It's looking particularly glorious at the moment. The pirate ship in the children's playground with castle in background. The Roman Columns

In addition to all the films being shown here at the festival there are also debates around the world of documentary making. Today Tuesday from 09:00 - 13:00 in the Salle de la Colombiere there will be a workshop with Kazakh Sergey Dvortsevoy on his passion for filmmaking. (Dvortsevoy won his first international prize in Nyon in 1995). At 20:00 there will be a debate and documentaries shown in the presence of filmmakers from the former GDR on the subject of "20 years since the fall of the Berlin wall". Reviews of other films including "C'est Notre Histoire", "Lessons from the Night", "Hotel Sahara", "Home Recordings", and "D'une Rive à L'autre", coming up on Thursday along with a summing up of the entire festival. After films there often can be interesting discussions, the one after the film "Super Mom" on Monday evening certainly triggered many varied opinions contrasting American and European points of view. There's a full two days of films left and on Tuesday and Wednesday that will be shown from 09:00 in the morning until late evening, so if you haven't had the chance to see any films yet, now's your chance. There's a full programme on the Visions Du Réel site

"Dyana Mini Market"  - by Florian Devigne Here's another film review from Trish Thalman  who says; “Although this film has already been screened at the festival, it is worthwhile to know about this sparkling, gem-of-a-film for future viewing" Mr. And Mrs. Kamlanathan , originally from Sri Lanka, have recently met with financial hard luck, and were evicted, along with their 3 children, from their previous accommodation. They now live, laugh, sleep, socialise and love each other as a family, along with the cats (Simba, their beloved dog has just died), in one tiny, cramped back room of the Dayana Mini Market somewhere in Paris. The shop is named after their teen-age daughter, who has dreams of a larger, glossier life than she is currently living. This joyful, humorous, eye-catching production is an insightful film by Floriane Devigne, that  happily provides us with the human condition related to  integrating and surviving in a new country, by using one's wits and energy ( physical and spiritual), to get on with life, regardless of the situation. Mother is the tough-ish disciplinarian, excellent cook and money-minded business woman working her files and dealing with the piles of incoming bills. She decides how the money, or lack of it, is spent. Father is the operations manager who runs the market out front. The parents constantly affirm their love to their children, but insist that they learn and understand the need to study and work hard. The children help out in the market when not at school or studying. Captivating colourful mini-sequences When things become unsettled for members of the family and a moment of dreaming or fantasy becomes necessary, we are gifted surprising sequences of song, dance and animation that 'pop-up'  throughout the film which offers everyone the chance to trip the light-fantastic. The captivating, colourful mini-sequences in the ‘Bollywood’ style capture the lively traditions and entertainment known to the parents in their country of birth. Their children are familiar with this world as well. The parents retain their transitioning, Asian way of life, but on a daily basis learn to accept the traditions of France through their children, ie: New Year’s Eve in the French mode: a tower of champagne glasses that are filled with the overflow from the glass at the top. Traditions and technology: A religious, incense-filled ceremony at the local temple to ensure the spirit of Simba ends up in a better place in which a large, framed photo of black Labrador wearing a pair of sunglasses is placed on the altar. Dayana gleefully receives a Kindle for her birthday,  meanwhile a TV screen with the 9 CCTV camera views of the  shop glows 24 hours a day in the back room for the family to keep an eye on the customers. In one scene Dayana enters a contest to become  'Miss Sri Lanka of France', with some mildly gruff protests from mother concerned about the cost for the event (clothes, makeup, jewelry, etc. etc.).  There is even another ‘Bollywood Moment’ during the pageant, when Dayana dances and sings a song referring to herself as ‘Lady Di’ (as in Day) and delights herself, as well as the cinema audience,  by leaving no question as to what her aspirations are for the future. She does not win the contest this year. But we have met a family who are lively, loving,  noisily and personable. Even if they are physically squashed into the tiniest living space in the back room, their expansive hopes and dreams for a better life are not diminished.

Traders Wall Street workers film showing tonight (more info see sidebar) Supermom Monday 27 16:00 Salle de la Colombiere Cooking History Monday 27 14:00 Salle Communale and Wednesday 20:00 Capitole 2 Fellini Supermom Three candidates from Nebraska, New Hampshire, and Indiana in preparation for the national final round of "Young Mother of the Year". Candidates 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. Cooking History is a portrait of military cooks from different countries in Europe, all of them who have served in armies during different wars in the 20th century; whether this is a German cook or Jewish baker in the Second World war, a French chef fighting in Algeria, or a Russian soldier fighting in Chechyna having only porridge to eat "the meat had been stolen back in Russia". There are many stories here, all told through their recollections, anecdotes and recipes. These stories often are harrowing, sometimes amusing. The personal chef of Tito recalls how after his leader's demise (showing us the book that recorded Tito's last meal ) how "the nationalist games began" when the new leaders were in negotiations and at lunch together. The first lunch in Split was Dalmatian ham with olives and Croatian village pasta, dishes he says "they knew Serbs would not normally eat". For the second lunch "the Serbs struck back" when Milosevic served a typical lunch of sour curds and Serbian polenta. He carries on in this vein, a light relief to the other stories. The say that an army marches on its stomach and you need a strong one to view this film as there is old film footage of of war atrocities. There are also present day metaphoric scenes of animals and chicken being slaughtered. Director Peter Kerekes obviously marched his film crew far to make this documentary there are many case studies across Europe, accompanied with renactment scenes of war survivors' stories. The ironic recipes at the end of each person's story "Russian Blini Pancakes for 11 million fallen Russian soldiers", "Poisoned bread for captured S.S men", "Pickled mushrooms for Soviet Occupiers " add a black humoured touch. At 88 minutes it is long, but the director has cooked up a good film here, it is not for the squeamish, but it has all the right ingredients to make the film a success.

The Bise wind has now finally died down but it left some pretty spectacular sights in Nyon when it was here. Take a look at this video by Brian Thomas filmed near the lake during the very cold and windy spell this week.  (Mute  your speakers if you want the video without music). Meanwhile, a few icicles still remained around the area of the lake front. Below is an  eclectic mix of events and information for you all, plus details of the next Living in Nyon event The next Living in Nyon evening event will take place on Tuesday the 6th April. There will be a talk in English by Mr Jean Perret of  Nyon's Visions du Reel film festival, he will explain all about the festival, the history about it, the story behind some of the films and what's on the agenda for this year. Spaces are limited for this event and there will be a small cover charge for room rental, however this is a great opportunity to meet other Anglophones and to chat after the event too. Please email cnp at bluewin.ch to reserve a place. This event will be held in a new venue near the lake called http://www.libresespace.ch/ The venue will be open from 19:00 and the talk is provisionally scheduled for 19:30 (to be confirmed). GEDS is looking for space, a barn, garage etc. The amateur volunteer theatrical group Geneva English Drama Society must leave its present storage and workshop area and is seeking 100-200 sq. metres. with ceiling height 4 metres and large door, with truck access. Preferably a disused barn, old double garage, hangar, etc. in Geneva countryside or nearby Vaud (not France), on ground floor, with electricity and preferably with running water. Will consider rental or purchase. Repair work or modernisation can be done either by GEDS or professionals depending on needs. Tel. 022 776 3675 until 23 March ( r.williams@sunrise.ch ) after 25 March 022 345 8233 ( h-hornfeld@bluewin.ch ). Bringing up Babies and Toddlers The site  Geneva Anglo Info has got many useful sections on living here that are packed with information check out their sections under "Family life and Living in Geneva". There is a also a section on " Having a baby in Geneva" and " Bringing up Toddlers". Wine school in Changins introduces course in "Introduction to wine tasting" This is what their publicity says "This course, given in English by a wine specialist, is the ideal introduction to the subject of wine tasting. During the first evening you will learn to differentiate flavours and to describe the appearance of wines. Then you will train yourself to recognise the aromas and to comment on the bouquets. At the end of the fourth session, and after tasting many white, rosé and red wines, you'll be able to describe wines in an organised and precise way. " Each session consists of one third of theory and two-thirds of wine tasting. Course material will be provided. Duration of module: 4 sessions of 4 hours each Time: 18h00-21:5  Required requisite: None Price : CHF 620.- Dates:  Session 1 : 15/04 - 22/04 - 29/04 - 06/05, 18: 00-21:15 Session 2 : 04/11 - 11/11 - 18/11 - 25/11, 18:00-21:15 Contact Romain Cellery  Responsable Ecole du Vin  Ecole du Vin de Changins CH-1260 Nyon Tel : +41 22 363 40 50  Wine school site Amateur Photo Competition from "Know it All Passport" Do you take beautiful or unusual photos?  Would you like to see your photograph published in the new edition of Know-it-all Passport ® 2011/2012 due out at the end ofAugust this year? Here is the table of contents for the 7th edition and they need one photo per section (8 in all). The photo will be used as a category separator. (See below for rules and prizes.) Categories 1) YOUR HOME Welcome to Switzerland!  Know-it-all’s Must-Knows  Calendar 2011/2012  Checklists  To Rent or not to Rent?  Make Yourself at Home  Potentially Toxic Outdoor Plants  Gardens and Gardening 2) TRAVEL Getting Around Town  Parking  Outings and Trips  Wineries, Breweries, and Farm Visits  Holidays 3) FOOD Night Life Restaurants  Eating Out with Kids   Specialist Food Shops  Chocolate! 4) LEISURE January through November Events  December Festivities Entertainment  The Arts and Creative Courses Sport Stores, Lessons, and Clubs  Swimming Pools and Lessons  Winter Activities  Museums Parks and Playgrounds  Holiday Camps and Workshops  Birthdays and Parties  Adult and Youth Clubs Religious Groups 5) EDUCATION AND WORK Schools and Universities  Language Courses Special Needs  Jobs and Money Matters 6) FAMILY Health and Wellbeing  Pre-Natal and Newborn Care  Maternity Wear and Supplies Parent and Baby/Child Activities  Daycare and Babysitting  Romance and Heartbreak  Pets 7) SHOPPING Clothes and Shoes  Shopping in Switzerland  Shopping in France  Toys and Play Equipment  Multimedia Hairdressers 8) INFORMATION Country Contact Information  Index  Geneva Map  Lausanne Map  Lake Geneva Map Index for Lake Geneva Map  Map of Geneva/Vaud Communes  Map of Switzerland’s Cantons  Contributors For details of prizes and rules see Know it All Passport Opening of new Grinberg centre in Nyon Saturday 13th March  14:00 -18:00  in 38 Rue de La Gare Tel 078 697 60 26 Opening of new centre in Nyon specialising in the Grinberg Method or see site of Jenny Klein mail@jennieklein.com Further afield Event THIS weekend Stained Glass Exhibition (using the Vitrail Tiffany technique ) this weekend over in Versoix Vernissage: Friday 12 March  18:00 20:00 Exhibition  Saturday 13 March, 10:00-19:00 Sunday 14 March, 11: 00 - 18:00 Maison du Charron,  6, rue des Moulins, 1290 Versoix  See Ecole et Quartier Versoix Visitors to the exhibition can take part in the demonstration in the cutting and mounting of glass and further afield on the 22nd March  Talk in Lausanne. "Understanding the Vaud School System" Organised by Léman Events

The following film review of "Forbidden Voices" is written by Suzy Nelson-Pollard. Forbidden Voices will be shown on Monday 23rd April at 10:o0 am at the Salle Communale.   How much do you value the freedom of speech in your country? Are you free to post observations on Facebook, cries for change on Twitter, criticism on your blog? What does it mean to have free press reporting on the current situation around you?  "Forbidden Voices" will be shown for the second time on Monday morning at 10 a.m at the Salle Communale, and if there is one film that shouldn’t be missed this week at Vision du Réel, it is this one. The documentary follows three renowned female dissident bloggers from Cuba, Iran and China in their struggle to continue publishing the truth on the Internet, despite state repression and persecution.  “I’m living in a Utopia, that isn’t my own”. Yoani Sanchez’s blog Generation Y, a rare insight in to Cuba through the eyes of a political enemy, has already been praised by the likes of the Obamas, Hillary Clinton and most of the Western press. Despite the fact that Cuba has one of the lowest internet connections in the world and that Sanchez has been denied an exit visa nineteen times, the Cuban blogger is one of the leading internet journalists of our time with a huge global following. The film concentrates mainly on her, as the camera crew are able to film within her home and gain access to her life with more ease than with the other two women. Sanchez says the fact that she is internationally recognised in a way keeps her safe and protects her from persecution, although she reveals later on in the film that she was a victim of an extremely violent attack by three government agents, which she manages to film on her mobile phone. We see the daily life of Yoani Sanchez, the meetings and the rallies she organises, her hopes and dreams for a freer, more tolerant Cuba. The internet is accelerating this process; it was online that Cubans first saw pictures of the fall of the Berlin Wall and Tiananmen Square, ten or eleven years after the events themselves.   “Exiled Iranians live on the internet, it is our virtual country” Farnaz Seifi started blogging in the early 2000's about her experiences as a women in Iran, focusing on the gender in equality in the Islamic Republic. “If there was a car accident, insurance companies have to pay out more money if there is damage to a man’s genitals than if there is a female death. We women are officially considered to be half of a man”.  After organising peaceful feminist rallies, Seifi was arrested, interrogated and then forced to flee due to fear for her family. She now lives in exile in Germany, and works closely with Reporters Without Borders. The documentary shows beautifully the deep sorrow of exile especially as Seifi speaks to other Iranian dissidents abroad.   “My keyboard is the only thing that helps me to bear the sorrow and the indignation” Zeng Jinyan and her husband Hu Jia are so closely monitored and censored by the Chinese state that most of the documentary footage is either from long distance shots, homemade videos or a skype camera. They are both shadowed at all times by two surveillance state employees and their internet connection often cut off, but this does not stop either of them from voicing their opinions on human rights and AIDS in China online. Zeng Jinyan’s husband is sentenced to three and a half years of prison, leaving her alone with their baby daughter under house arrest. “He has done nothing wrong,” she cries “Freedom of Speech is in the Chinese Constitution”.  Although alone and desperate, she never stops trying to break through the Great FireWall.   The director of the film Barbara Miller said that raising money to make a documentary about women, technology and politics was a painstaking process, but this film could not be more topical, showing the lives of the women behind the repressed voices of authoritarian regimes. Not violence, repression, exile nor humiliation can stop the hope and struggle for a better future in the hearts of these three women and for dissident bloggers worldwide.

Photo above: Caribana 2012 logo reflected in the merchandising. Caribana Festival revealed its full 2012 music programme today March 28 with, (according to Pascal Vuistiner, press officer for the festival) "an explosive cocktail of music".   This cocktail includes a mix for all music lovers, from the calm acoustic sound of Lucy Rose from the UK playing on the beach stage on the Thursday evening,  to the electro pop of Marina and the Diamonds to the punk rock of the Dropkick Murphys on the main stage the same night. There's Ska on offer from the Specials, Reggae from Stephen Marley, Alternative/ Samba from Lail Arad and the big attraction for many - Lou Reed playing on Friday night.  Follow our Tweets! Living in Nyon also tweeted the news of line up of some of the bands the same morning. Are you following the Living in Nyon tweets?  Take a look at the bottom of this site for the tweets imparted by Julius Caesar, Roman emperor, founder of Nyon (and now Tweeter). Utube video of Marina and The Diamonds (she will be supporting Coldplay on some of their European and U.S dates).   There's Rock and Roll/ Soul music from the band Vintage trouble, Rap from Grand Corps Malade and alternative rock electro from 2 manydjs (DJ set) on the Saturday night.  Below: U tube video of  R&B/Soul/ Rock and Roll Band Vintage Trouble from Los Angeles U.S.A  There's lots more on offer and as usual on the Sunday of the festival is the day for families and children with Caribana kids (more on this to follow).   Below: Jérome Haldemann, designer of  the  2012 Caribana poster next to his original artwork . Jerome says "I chose the monkey as it injected a sense of humour to the poster, and I chose the colours as they reflect the fun and dynamic nature of such a festival".  Jerome's entry to the competition to design a poster for the festival was among 16 received  by a class of apprentices from ERACOM , (the college for apprentice graphic designers  in Lausanne). "The great thing about this project was that it was purely my own work, when you work with clients in graphic design it can often be a collaborative effort and you don't necessarily get to work on the project right through to the end, but with this one I did, and am very proud it was chosen for such a great festival".  Note: Caribana tickets are now on sale and although they don't tend to sell out as fast as Paléo tickets, don't wait too long to buy them!   You can read all about the previous Caribana and other music festivals here on Living in Nyon, just click on the top bar "film and music festivals".

The Ciné Club Nyon opens its new season tonight Monday 7th October with its first film of the season, "La Vie D'Adele" ("Blue is the Warmest Colour" in English). This film won the Palme D'or in Cannes in 2013 so kicks off the season in style. The Ciné Club has selected a wide range of interesting films for its new season.  The films shown below are scheduled up until the end of 2013.  For the full programme through until March 2014, see here The Ciné Club offers special extra screenings for members. It costs 90 CHF for membership. This entitles members to view 10 Ciné Club films, a reduction of  2 CHF on the regular films at the Capitole Cinema in Nyon, one free film of your choice at the cinema and an invitation for three other special screenings.  You can also watch a film without becoming a member, the cost of entry is  the normal Monday tariff of CHF 12 4th November  "Sur mes lèvres" "The Straight Story" by David Lynch on the 18th November "Machuca" by Andrés Wood on the 2nd  of December 2013 "Mermaid " by Anna Melikyan on the 16th December 2013

This Sunday the 13th April, it's the Easter market in Nyon. There will be stalls in the Rive area of town and activities. Locally produced goods for sale from 08:00 to 18:30 Also check out the decorated fountains around Nyon, an annual tradition at this time of year. Photo below of a decorated fountain in 2013

Courtesy - cgn.ch Easter Cruise On Lake Leman Why not enjoy Easter Sunday on a cruise around Lake Leman, with a delicious meal prepared specially for the occasion! The menu costs 55.- per adult and 27.50 per child (6-12 year old). P hone +41 (0)848 811 848 to book . For the complete menu, see here Circus Workshop During Easter Holidays Looking for something to do for your kids this Easter? L'Elastique Citrique, Nyon's own circus school proposes week-long workshops during the Easter holidays. Come and learn how to juggle, ride a unicycle, walk on a tightrope or climb on a trapeze throughout a week of fun and discovery. There is room left for the afternoon (1 to 5 p.m.) workshop for 8 to 13 year olds on both weeks. You can find more information and book here .     Circus Starlight In Geneva With “Entresort” Circus Starlight presents their new show, “Entresort” in Geneva, until the 7 th of April . An “entresort” is a sideshow in old funfairs, where the public would continuously enter the attraction at one end and leave at the other, discovering some strange and mysterious act inside- hence the name, entre-sort (enter-exit). This show is a modern retelling of this attraction. On stage, numerous doors lead to as many different memories and moments from the past, full of nostalgic acrobats, clowns and entertainers. More information here Circus Helvetia- Shows In Perroy And Mies Take your kids to a circus show by one of the best Swiss Circuses, Circus Helvetia, for a moment of magic and amazement full of acrobatics, unicycling, juggling and aerial acts. Circus Helvetia will be stopping in Perroy(near Morges) on Tuesday 26 th and Wednesday 27 th , and in Mies(near Coppet) on Thursday 28 th and Friday 29 th . More information and more tour dates here .   Jazz Concert And Local Wine Go and enjoy a nice glass of local wine under the Chateau de Nyon whilst listening to a piano, saxophone and clarinet trio on Thursday 28 th March . The concert starts at 6.30 p.m ., booking required . More info here .     Weekly Night Market In Coppet Every Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m. , local market in the port.   Music At The Church Instrumental Ensemble “Le Choeur Brisé” (a pun on the broken choir/the broken heart) will be playing music by G.B. Fontana (1571-1630), with readings of sacred texts from different religious traditions on Friday 29 th March at the Protestant Church in Nyon.( Rue du Temple , in the centre of Nyon). The concert is free and starts at 5 p.m. Flea Market In Rolle On Saturday 30 th March , “A Coffre Ouvert”, the monthly flea market will take place around the Castle in Rolle. It's the perfect occasion if the weather is good for a nice stroll along the lakeside in Rolle.