Friends of India , the Nyon based charity are holding a Gala concert on Saturday 23rd November in Geneva. See Flyer below. Also, a reminder of the book launch (a Living in Nyon event) in English of "Slow Train to Switzerland" on November 25th in Nyon. There are a few places left for this event reservations necessary - full details here

After two days of heatwave, the whole festival was anticipating the spell of cooler and wetter weather forecast for Wednesday. In true Paléo spirit, people geared up with wellies and raincoats, never letting anything as insignificant as a storm or a sea of mud getting in the way of the concerts. The clouds had been gradually building up, and it was about quarter past six when the downpour started, a few minutes into Arthur H 's concert. I had luckily relocated to the press service, where an apéritif celebrating 40 years of collaboration between Belgian culture and the festival was organised. Daniel Rossellat said a few words about the rain, mentioning the unpredictability of the weather- apparently the person in charge of the weather forecast for the festival had got soaked by the sudden downpour, showing just how hard it is to be totally accurate! Over one hundred artists and bands from Belgium have played over the years at Paléo, including Arno this year, and last year's memorable Stromae. Ties between different French-speaking festivals are important, and the different collaborations were celebrated with a beer specially brewed for the occasion! The weather did manage to create a bit of chaos on the grounds, as Angus and Julia Stone 's concert was delayed by nearly 40 minutes for technical reasons. There's something quite magical to the sight of all the people gradually flocking to the main stage as the brother and sister struck the first chords on their guitars, everyone forgoing whatever shelter they had found to go and enjoy the concert - obviously the biggest fans had been hanging around under the rain to make sure they got the best view of the concert. From heavier guitar pieces to lighter pop-y songs with a catchy tune on the keyboards, the Stones did their thing, although they weren't super chatty (at least at the beginning of their show!) The opposite can be said of Passenger , whose concert at Les Arches was delayed because of the delays on the main stage. He came on stage apologising about the delay and thanking everybody for waiting in the rain for his concert, starting in a really nice way an hour of beautiful acoustic songs interspersed with jokes to the audience (about how his life had become hell since Frozen came out and everybody now mistakes his hit song "Let her go" with "Let it go") and encouraging people to sing along with him ("It doesn't have to be right, it just has to be loud, and if you don't know the words, then just invent them as you go along!"). Celebrating "the most colourful audience" he'd ever seen, and praising the way everybody had come prepared with raincoats and umbrellas - in comparison to the UK where it rains all the time and nobody ever does anything about it- he made the wait in the rain and the mud more than worthwhile as he enchanted the crowd with his delicately crafted songs, singing fragments of people's lives and their stories, their joys and pains. Managing to push the crowd into a frenzy on gleefully vengeful songs like "I hate", with everyone joining in for the chorus with great gusto, to getting absolute silence as he asked the crowd to not utter a sound as he performed one of his newest songs, "which means a lot to me at the moment"- a beautiful and calm love song, whose strength was amplified by the magic silence of thousands of people in raincoats, hypnotised by a man alone on the stage with his guitar. In my opinion, one of the best concerts of this festival. The evening continued with Mongolian rock-stars Hanggai , who mix traditional polyphonic singing with their own mix of heavy rock and traditional tunes. The main singer had the utmost class with his aviator sunglasses, long hair and chain hanging on his trousers. Their music was catchy and full of energy, and it was easy to imagine yourself riding a horse (or a big motorbike, a Royal Enfield or the like!) through the Mongolian steppe. The main attraction of the evening was obviously Sting , who once again enchanted the crowd with his (bearded!) performance. With a perfect mix of newer material and all the old favourites (the concert ended with Roxanne and Every Breath You Take), Sting gave off the feeling that he was truly enjoying himself on stage. With the knack of surrounding himself with some of the best musicians you can find, and giving them a lot of room to impress the crowd with their talent, Sting not only delivered a enjoyable pop concert, but also some very high quality music.

Another hot night is predicted for Paléo on Saturday, not only with the hot music on offer from the drums of Les Tambours des Burundi in the Dome tent to the BB Brunes and Blur on the Grande Scène, but also with the high temperatures on the Paléo grounds. In these temperatures, Paléo is advising festival-goers to drink lots of water and a reminder that the water in the special Paléo water fountains and in the taps in the sinks in the WCs, contain drinking water, so take your own water bottle and keep filling it up! There are shady areas to be found around the grounds too, you can sit under canvas on the white chairs, or sit under the shade of the trees. Once the sun goes down, then things cool down just a little. However if you are in a big crowd, it can still be a little sticky! Photo below: Fans of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in front of the Grande Scène on Friday night. Photo below: The shady area with white chairs under canvas (not too far from the entrance) Photo below: Some shade is provided by the trees Photo below: One way to keep cool, wear very little clothing!  The "flirting "street artists at Paléo

If you are looking to buy books for Christmas presents there are several book shops in the Nyon area that stock books in both English and French (listed below). Plus, a short review of two recently published books on the towns of Montreux and Vevey. Bookshops in Nyon The Nyon branch of Payot i n La Combe shopping centre has a decent sized selection of English books with a regular turnover of new stock. They also have a pretty quick book ordering system. Note: this shop also stocks the book Living Along Lac Léman (the Living in Nyon book). Also, if you missed the Diccon Bewes Living in Nyon event in mid-November, Diccon will be back in Nyon at Payot on Friday 11th December from 15:00 -16:30 to sign copies of his book "Around Switzerland in 80 Maps” . Two other shops in Nyon that stock books (children’s books only) are: "The Reading Duck" in Grand Rue in the centre of the old town. This shop carries a variety of French and English books including children’s games, bricolage items etc.  Brand new to the area is "Editions Limonade" in Rue de la Colombiére 3 in Nyon. This shop opened just last week, currently their books on sale are in French only, however these lovely illustrated books would make great gifts for children who are learning the French language. Photo above - Newly opened "Editions Limonade" in Nyon. In Rolle there are two bookshops:  A Travers Les Mots in Grand Rue 63, this shop stocks both French and English books. and La Libraire du Château  in Grand Rue 10, which has a small collection of English books, and cards for sale. If you want to know a bit more about the Montreux and Vevey region, there are two self-published books covering the area that might be useful for newcomers. The first, “Montreux Riviera Switzerland” written by author Farrol Kahn, is a mixture of historical facts and local information, from a brief history of the confectionery company Nestlé in Vevey, anecdotes about Claude Nobbs, the founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival, to behind-the-scenes in some of the region’s five-star hotels. This hard back book is printed in colour and includes many advertorials of local businesses. There is a website linked to the book, with overhead shots of the area provided by  Montreux Riviera Tourism , but the site itself has no further information about the area. "Welcome to the Swiss Riviera" by Valeria C. Harlay is written by an author who lives in the region and although the book is printed in black and white, it provides a friendly and personal expat perspective to the area. Particularly useful is the list of local activities and clubs for toddlers, older kids and adults, details on schools, pharmacies in the area, plus facts about the surrounding villages, Swiss customs etc. A newly updated version of the book is due for publication in 2016. There is currently no website linked to the book but there is an active and regularly updated My Swiss Riviera Facebook page with postings of current events and useful contacts.

There is always a lot going in the Nyon, Geneva  and Romandie area in Autumn and the next couple of months are no exception. Here is a selection for Living in Nyon readers. There's a  family day out at an Autumn Fair in Crassier to "Lunch on the Lawn" at the Château de Prangins,  to fun ways of learning French. There's the launch of a new local business in the area that  has started selling "Start Rite" shoes for children, to a performance of  "Loot", the next GEDS production (in English). There's a chance to pitch your business at a "Brits in Business" event and First Aid courses in English begin another season. September Sunday 22 " Lunch on the Lawn"  10:00 - 17:00  Stalls selling vegetables and fruits all from the kitchen garden on the Château de Prangins. Make your own lunch with the produce. Music and dance from the 18th Century. Try out the wigs and the make up of the 18th century too! Check out the  exhibition "Noblesse Oblige". See website Saturday 28 Autumn Fai r  from 10:00 to 17:00 - A fun family day with over 20 stalls. Café & buvette. Tap dancing, Line dancing, Games & lots more! La Côte community event.  See website for further details. Fancy learning French while playing golf? Check out this idea from Ecole - club Migros  Their “French & Golf: Do you Speak Swing?” classes start on 23 September  The programme  includes 60 hours of learning French combined with 30 hours of golf.  For full details see this article on the "Know it All passport" site Learn French though weekly workshops starting in September at the language workshops "Play, Sing, Dance and Cook Francais" These are organised by Le Café Vivant 24- 28 September GEDS   (Geneva English Drama Society ) production of "Loot"  by Joe Orton Loot is a black comedy – a farce that satirizes the church, attitudes to death, the integrity of the police force and other social norms. The  Sunday Telegraph  called it “the most genuinely quick-witted, pungent and sprightly entertainment by a new young British playwright for a decade”.  The play won several awards in its original London run, and has been revived in many professional productions. It has gained a reputation as a comic masterpiece.  The cast includes Cathy Boyle, James Bradley, Pablo González Silva, Ludovic Lafont, Dan Day-Robinson, and Nic Sommer. Booking details here October  9th October -  Sale of children's shoes including  "Start Rite" shoes!    This sale will take place at the Nursery school "Bac à Sable" in Genolier from 15:00 -19:00 The sale is being organised through a newly launched website called Boni Classic , a children shoe's website based in in Trélex. There will be a shoe fitting service at the sale. For those who can't make the sale there will be opportunities to visit the website founders at their home in Trélex to try the shoes and get a shoe fitting both in European and English sizes.   See website for full details 8th October -  Elevator Pitches  at "Brits in Business"   A chance to pitch your business   18:00 to 20 .00   at the British Government Offices in Geneva. There are  4 "Elevator Pitch" slots on offer. Email Marie if you are interested in this opportunity to present yourself and your business to a Brits in Business audience. 5 minutes maximum and no power-point.  Location: British Government Offices, Avenue Louis Casaï 58, 1216 Cointrin, Geneva (visitors' parking available - Bus n°10 stop "Floralies" or "de Joinville")  Entrance fee: CHF 20, payable on the evening, includes drinks and nibbles  See "Brits in Business" website "Health First" Courses start again for new season First Aid for Child Inj uries course on 1 st October 2013 from 18:30-22:00  This course is packed with practical advice, hands on training, lively discussions and lots of information. Along with other topics, you can expect to: Learn how to deal with burns, scalds and electrocution. Understand the importance of head injuries in children and what to do. Practice how to deal with major bleeding and more minor cuts and grazes. Practice the First Aid for broken bones and sprains. Get advice on what you should have in your First Aid Kit and how to use it. People can find out more and book their place here Also,  CPR for Babies and Children course on 7 th November 2013 from 18:30-22:00.  This course is a hands-on workshop during which you can expect to: Understand the principles of CPR for babies and for children over the age of 1 year. Use manikins to practice the skills of performing chest compressions and giving rescue breaths. Practice how to help a choking baby or child. Learn what to do in the event of drowning. Understand the common causes of unconsciousness and practice the safe positioning of an unconscious baby or child. More details  here

Photo at top: calm before the storm in Nyon.  Photo above: the storm in Nyon this week! There are two tickets up for grabs (worth 30chf each) for the 2nd November for the first night of the play  "Quartet"  which will be performed by the Geneva English Drama society next week in Coppet. On that night there is also a chance to have a drink with the cast after the show.  Just answer  the following two questions by 19:00 on Sunday 31st October  1.Ronald Harwood is the writer of this play but it his  pen name - what was the real name of this author? 2. What was his nationality?  Send your answers to cnp at bluewin.ch. Names will then go into a hat and the prize winners informed by Sunday evening. The theatre at Coppet has a lovely bar and it's a great place to have a pre theatre drink to mingle and meet new faces. Alternatively if you fancy going to a jazz concert next week.  On Friday 5th November at 20:30, the "Christine Python Trio" will perform "Du poeme au jeu de mots" at the Conservatoire of Nyon.  The Conservatoire is a lovely building  by the lakeside, jazz and classical concerts are regularly performed to here to high acclaim. To win two tickets for this Friday concert, visit the Living in Nyon stand at the Léman Fair  on Sunday. Living in Nyon will be at stand 18 at the Leman Expat Fair  from 11:00 - 17:00 It's free entry to the fair so come and say "hello", we will be handing out free copies of this weekend's addition of La Côte  newspaper (with the English Living in Nyon column in) and be there to answer any questions about living in the Nyon area. The fair is a living "Yellow Pages" of English speaking Swiss businesses, services, clubs schools and organisations in one place for one day. See the official site for more details. The fair will be held at Beaulieu, Avenue Bergières, 10 Business Centre, Halle 2 Lausanne. See the site for more details. Also this weekend at the Salle Communale in  Commugny it's the Cornucopia Autumn Fair . Ths is an annual lifestyle/artisanal fair, perfect for unusual Christmas gifts, includes a Bistro and Indian homecooked Plat du Jour.  Friendly atmosphere. Sat 10:0o - 17:30 Sunday 10:00 -16:30

Chess Tournament In Signy on 1 st - 2 nd Of February The Cercle d'Echec de Nyon is holding a chess tournament at the Signy Shopping Center this Friday and Saturday. The inscription fee is 10.- for the Blitz (rounds of 5 minutes per player) on Friday at 6pm, and 15.- for the tournament on Saturday (10am- 5pm) You can get more info and sign up for the tournament directly at Signy, or on this website: http://echecs-nyon.ch/ Classical Music At The Conservatoire On Sunday 3 rd February A quartet of singers will take you on a musical journey from the Renaissance to nowadays...a capella! The concert is at 5 pm at the Villa Thomas on the lakeside in Nyon. For more info and to book places for the concert, go to this website: http://www.covaud.ch/index.php/manifestations/concerts/152-3fevrier2013-quatuor-symphonique Quatuor Sine Nomine At The Colombière On Sunday 10 th February The famous string quartet from Lausanne who celebrated their 30 th anniversary last year will be playing Mozart and Brahms, with Romain Guyot on the clarinet, at 11:15 am in the Salle de la Colombière in Nyon. Tickets are on sale on the Migros Service Culturel website: http://www.covaud.ch/index.php/manifestations/concerts/152-3fevrier2013-quatuor-symphonique   “ Chains of Silence”- Simona Bonnano At The Focale Photo Gallery “In memory of all the women, young girls and children victims of silenc. Each photography tells the story of a women, a girl, a people.” (S.B) For the past few years, Simona Bonnano has practiced an art of photography devoid of human subjects. The dolls she photographs are the silent witnesses of all the violence, be it sexual, religious or cultural, that women suffer every day. “Chains of Silence” won the Julia Margaret Cameron Award 2010 and has been exhibited in Argentina, Israel and Turkey. The exhibition is open until the 10 th March at the Galerie Focale on the Place du Chateau, Wednesday to Sunday, 2 pm to 6 pm . www.focale.ch Fondue Evening For Newly Arrived Expats! Newly arrive expatriates can come and enjoy a traditional Swiss dish- and learn how to make it- while learning more about local customs and other handy information. The event is organised by Nyon Region Tourisme, on Tuesday 26 th February. More information soon!

Monday night is "Movie in English" night in Nyon and the new Woody Allen Film "Jasmine" will be shown tonight 23rd September  at Nyon's Capitole Cinema at 20:30. The film stars Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin (see poster below). See the cinema's website her e for info on their other films

There are plenty of Christmas markets on at the moment including the Marché de Saint Nicolas at "La Chât" in Founex. See details below. Note - there will be late night shopping in Nyon on Friday 19th and Monday 22nd December. Local buses will be free on these nights see here.  Local family businesses will also be open on Sunday 21st December from 10:00 -18:00 Marché de Saint-Nicolas at La Châtaigneraie International School. Saturday, 13 December 2014 from 11:30 to 16:00. Over 30 stalls selling artisan goods and crafts. Games/activities available for the children (Father Christmas, shopping area) Live seasonal music provided by students of the music programme at the school. A great indoor activity for the entire family. Food and drink are offered during the entire event. Parking is free. Event Location.  La Châtaigneraie International School , 2, chemin de la Ferme, Founex VD, 1297 Jazz Carols in Nyon For the fourth year running  La Côte Anglican Church is organising an evening of Jazz Carols in Nyon. This will be a blend of Christmas carols, played with an original jazz twist. These will be interspersed with a specially written dramatised story, bringing to life the essence of Christmas. Entry is free. However, you will need to reserve a place online to ensure a seat. There will be a retiring collection. Full details here

The Montreux Jazz festival kicks off today and continues until the 16th July. The festival name is bit of misnomer as there is much more than jazz available on the programe. From the blues of B.B King (a festival regular), to hip hop, soul, rock, pop, techno, etc, there is a huge variety of music on offer.  Although tickets for many of the big names sold out when the line up was first released,  there are still tickets available for other concerts and many concerts are completely free.  See the free programme here Latin Rythmn at festival The festival also runs music events in different venues away from the main stages such as on the "Salsa boat or the Brazil Tropical boats". These weekend boats cruise back and forth across the lake and past the stunning scenery of the Vaud vineyards with live bands playing on board. While they play, passengers dance, if you like rythmn of latin musc then these boats are not to be missed, the pace of dancing is frenetic on board too!  Salsa boat dates here Jazz trains If you prefer your music a little bit more laid back and foot tapping, there are traditional jazz trains (again with live bands on board) at this festival. They weave their way through the hills from Montreux to Gstaad or Rochers-de-Nayes.    Jazz train dates here  Seee Montreux Jazz  festival    for the full programme.  The site in in English. Note  - if you intend driving to the festival allow extra time to park in the festival car parks and to take the free shuttle bus to the centre.  If you intend going by train there is a 10% discount on the train fare for concert ticket holders. There are also special night trains for music lovers to return to Lausanne, Morges, Rolle, Gland, Nyon, Coppet, and Geneva after the concerts. See times here.   Usine a Gaz - Autumn line up Closer to home,  on Wednesday the Usine a Gaz  (Nyon's permanent music venue), revealed its musical and theatrical musical line up for their Autumn season. It kicks off on the 13th October with a "ciné/concert", a film and music mix event.  The film to be screened is "Duel"  starring Dennis Weaver (shown in English with French subtitles).  "Duel"  was the first feature film directed by Steven Spielberg.  The red Plymouth Valiant car in the film is used on the cover, and the posters of the Usine a Gaz's 2011/2012 programme . Music at this ciné/ concert event will be performed by Antiquarks .     More on the Usine a Gaz's autumn programme, including the new pricing for "abonnements" and reviews of music events theatrical events and Wednesday afternoon events for families and children, here on this site in the coming months.

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