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Film Festival begins tonight with a free film for the public at the Théâtre du Marens The bright red boards advertising Visions du Réel are now up around the town and everything is in place for another six day film festival (bar any natural disasters - unfortunately last year's festival was affected by the volcanic eruption in Iceland resulting in many cancelled flights for industry professionals and film fans) . New director brings festival closer to Nyon  This year the festival has a new director -  Mr Luciano Barisone at its helm, he comes to Nyon's Visions du Réel  having previously been director of the "Festival dei Popoli"  film festival in Florence in Italy. With a new director comes new innovations: one of these is that this year the festival has been brought closer to the centre of Nyon. Instead of the hub of the festival being at the Usine a Gaz near the lake, all the main activities will now be focussed around Place du Réel (the Salle Communale). This will be the central point and main box office   - the other two box offices will be at the Théàtre du Marens and at the Usine a Gaz. There will also be a restaurant and bar at the Place du Réel. During the festival tickets can be bought in advance either on line or at the box office (in previous years, ticket purchasing was only possible a few hours before each film). Festival continues thoughout the year The other new innovation is that Visions du Réel won't be just a festival for 6 days only, it will continue in some form by showing monthly screenings of documentaries at the Capitole cinema in Nyon throughout the year.  As in previous years there are hundreds of films available for the public to see, workshops with a tribute to a particular film maker, "Premier Pas", (first short films by self taught film makers or film school graduates and their films premiered for the first time in Switzerland). There are international films on offer, short and long films. Many films are entered into different categories of competition and the winners are announced on the final evening of the festival. Swiss films Under the "Helvetique category"  there are various films set in Switzerland, one of these will be shown for the "Avant Premiere", for the general public (free entry) at the Théâtre de Marens, at 19:30 on Wednesday 6th April . This film will be "Le Combat des Reines" -  "The Battle of the Queens"   See festival description below.  One of the most reputed gatherings in the western Alps is the “Battle of the Queens,” when pregnant cows instinctually fight it out to see who will become leader of the herd and defend the pasture. Using precise cinematographic devices, this film relishes in telling the tale of an excited and anxious world centred around one of these competitions Another film in the Helvetique Swiss category is L’Autre Versant de Gstaad - The other side of Gstaad shown on Friday 8th April at 19:30 and  repeated on Sunday at 22:30  at the Capitole 1 cinema. Film description below by Visions du Réel - The village of Gstaad is a famous ski destination. It consists of a series of chalets surrounded by an almost pristine Alpine landscape; for years it had been a refuge for famous people who adored joining the mountain dwellers and basking in anonymity. This notoriety brought tourism in its wake and, consequently, ruined that image, which the locals still recall nostalgically. Focus on Colombia  Amongst the hundreds of films on offer, this year there will be a special focus on the country of Colombia. Living in Nyon spoke to Mr Barisone a couple of weeks ago who said; "it's an exciting time in Colombian film making right now, there is more government  funding available enabling some superb films to be made. For this reason Visions du Réel has invited 12 delegates from Colombia to Nyon to attend the festival. There will be screenings of films and  a round table discussion". Photo below : Visions du Réel  - from the film "Apaporis" (one of the  "Colombia Focus" films) There will be much more on  Visions du Réel on this site over the festival period including reviews of films.

There aren't many places you can get a cup of coffee or tea for 1 Swiss Franc, browse through English books and look at art at the same time. But in Crans-Près Céligny you can. This is because the public library (in the salle communale in the centre of the village) has a whole section of English books that are available to borrow. Above the library there is a spacious gallery which is open to the public where artists can show their work and hold "vernissages". The library has been offering this service since 1974 when the library was first opened and founded by Denise Meier. Artists and photographers who show their work vary from those starting out on their career, to that of the famous Nyon artist Jean Knechtli , to current exhibitor Claude-André Depallens. Photos below: Art from Monseiur Depallens, watercolours of the roofs of St Prex Art painted on the old wooden boards used for cooking Vacherin Mont D'or cheese The artist Krystyna Dislich works as a volunteer at the library and is in charge of the English section and says: "We try to keep up to date with the latest books and a new book is added to the collection each month (this month's addition is " The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer)." There are a considerable amount of English speaking people in the village here and we are catering to a need, we have a cosy reading area for children and kids books in English. We also have an English reading group that meets to discuss books too. For the exhibition space, artists can show their work for around 4-5 weeks, each time there is a new exhibition we inform everyone on our mailing list, so the villagers get the chance to meet others at the vernissage and it's a good social gathering. Membership of the library is just 20 chf for residents of Crans, 30 chf for those from other communes. Opening times are Monday 19:30 -21:00 Wednesday 14:00-15:30 Friday 14:00-16:00 and Saturday 10:00 -12:00 The Library also accepts gifts of books too to add to their collection. If you would like to donate any or have any questions about the library contact either Krystina Dislich (she speaks fluent English) or head librarian Agnes de Boer. Living in Crans. The Village of Crans -Près Céligny is just a few miles from Nyon and has some lovely old buildings, a small supermarket, post office, butcher, restaurants and a chateau. It also plays host to the Caribana festival down by the lake in June. The village has its own site with more information (in French) from when the recycling and rubbish will be collected, to the opening times of its public buildings and offices. Note: There will be a Troc de Jouets on 31st October in the Salle Communale from 11:00 -15:00 (whats a troc? see previous post with explanation) Items on sale such as ski wear, bikes, books and DVDs and and baby equipment. For more information click on "Troc de Jouets" on the village page on "plus d'infos ici" More on living in this village in in a future post. The butcher's shop in the village

After the recent production of videos made in Lausanne and Geneva to the backing track of "Happy" by Pharrell Williams, it was only a matter of time before Nyon produced its own film. Here it is below, you may recognise some familiar faces and places, from the Roman columns, to the man who sells roasted chestnuts in the street in autumn, to staff from the tourist office (see if you can spot those who were at the Living in Nyon "Fun Fondue" for newcomers last week!). Even the statue of Julius Caesar (the founder of Nyon and Living in Nyon's Tweet avatar) makes an appearance!

There are two opportunities this week for jazz lovers to attend concerts in Nyon.   The first is an apéro, an after work drink on Thursday 27th  February in the atmospheric cave (cellar) of Nyon's château. Doors open at 17:00, music at 18:30.   The "Two Monkeys"  jazz duo are on the line up. Just 5 CHF per entry.   See site for more details  and for other events in this "cave". Photo above: The cave/ cellar of Nyon's château The second event is a jazz evening on Friday 28th February in the equally atmospheric 1306 club in the old town in Nyon.   The club holds occasional music events throughout the year. Entry to these events is free however a hat for a contribution to the  performers will be  passed around on the night.  The concert on the 28th will be "Duo Jazz plays Sidney Bechet". Concert starts at 20.30.  More details, check site here.  Photo above: Duo Jazz - courtesy 1306 Club.

Swimming in the lake – The lake is looking particularly gorgeous at the moment and many people are taking advantage of the hot weather and taking a dip in the water to cool off. If you are one of those you might like to know that that there is a small publication called “Carte des Plages du Léman” produced by CIPEL (International Commission for the protection of Leman Waters) which has a map of all the beaches and places you can swim around the entire lake. It also lists the water quality around all of these beaches and you will be pleased to know that many of these fall into “good quality water” category, a few fall into the “average quality” mark and only one beach (on the French side) out of a total of 116 around the entire lake falls into “bad quality” and where you cannot swim. However if you do decide to go for a swim you do need to be aware of the problem of duck fleas. Below is an approximate translation from the publication as to what these are and if you catch them what to do about it. Living in Nyon is delighted that Dr Michelle Wright has helped with this translation and added some other advice of her own. Dr Wright is an English speaking doctor, a General Practitioner, who works part-time for one of the United Nations Organisations in Geneva. She also works as a medical writer and has a weekly programme on WRS called "Health Matters". As well as this, Dr Wright provides First Aid and Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation courses in English through HealthFirst (website under construction). She can be contacted on the email drmichellewright@gmail.com Here is the translation from the leaflet from CIPEL “The beaches around Lac Leman are practically all favourable for swimming. 50 metres from the edge, the water is of good quality to swim in, however it is not safe to drink. Even on an extremely clean beach, there may be a risk of ‘swimmers dermatitis’ or ‘duck fleas’, especially in shallow waters which are rich in vegetation and where the temperature is over 20 degrees centigrade. This is a natural phenomenon and bears no relation to pollution. This dermatological problem is caused by the larvae of a duck parasite that penetrate human skin and cause intense itching. Fortunately it is not dangerous. To avoid ‘swimmers dermatitis’, it is recommended to take a shower immediately after swimming and to dry yourself off vigorously with a towel afterwards. It is also advisable to avoid swimming close to the plants and vegetation near to the water’s edge. If you do get a rash, you should avoid scratching it in order to prevent secondary bacterial infection. The rash should disappear without any traces within 10-20 days.” Dr Michelle Wright also adds What are ‘duck fleas’? ‘Duck fleas’ (‘puces de canard’ in French) are actually a relatively common problem that can result from swimming in Lac Leman. They can lead to an itchy skin rash known as ‘swimmers itch’ or ‘swimmers dermatitis’. Swimmer’s itch is not caused by fleas exactly but by a worm-like parasite whose usual host is the ducks that live in the lake. Whilst you are swimming in the lake, immature forms of the parasite larvae can penetrate ‘mistakenly’ through your skin rather than finding their usual host, a duck. So, humans are infected ‘accidentally’. The parasite actually dies when it enters your skin. However, your body develops an allergic reaction to the parasite and it is this that causes the rash. What are the symptoms? On your first exposure to the parasite, you may not have any reaction or develop any symptoms. However, you can still become ‘sensitized’ to the parasite and the next time that you are exposed to it, symptoms can develop. If symptoms do develop, at first you may notice tiny red spots at the points at which the larvae have penetrated your skin. The spots can be tingly or itchy. After a few hours, the spots tend to become bigger and more ‘pimple-like’ or bumpy. Intense itching is usual at this stage. Occasionally, blistering can occur over the next few days. The rash will develop on areas of the skin exposed to the water. So, skin under a swimsuit can be protected and therefore spared from the rash. If you have developed swimmer’s itch before, you may develop a more severe rash the next time you are exposed to the parasite. What treatment do I need if I get ‘duck fleas’? The rash will eventually go away of its own accord but it may take between 10-20 days to disappear completely. If you have just a few itchy patches, you may not need any treatment. However, most of the time, itching is quite intense. It is important to control itching because scratching can damage your skin further and sometimes lead to a secondary bacterial infection which may need treatment with antibiotics. Calamine lotion or an antihistamine may help to treat itching. Antihistamine liquid is available for children. However, do take care when using antihistamines as some can make you drowsy and so you should not drive whilst taking them. Always read the packet leaflet carefully and get advice from your local pharmacist to make sure that they are safe for you to use. For example, antihistamines may not be safe in certain medical conditions or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. A mild corticosteroid cream such as 1% hydrocortisone can also sometimes be helpful. Again, get advice from a pharmacist before using this. Rarely, in very severe cases, steroids taken by mouth may be needed. How can I avoid ‘duck fleas’? As suggested by CIPEL (International Commission for the protection of Leman Waters): Take a shower as soon as you get out of the water. Most of the beaches around the lake have showers available on the lakeside. Dry yourself off with a towel after your shower. The brisk rubbing motion with a towel can help to stop the larvae from penetrating your skin. Avoid swimming close to the plants and vegetation at the water’s edge as these can be a particular habitat for the parasite Also some general points about safety around water: Always take care whilst swimming in the lake or anywhere else. Many drowning incidents could have been prevented. Never leave children unattended. If you are watching children playing in or near water, take care not to become distracted by e.g. talking on your phone, reading etc. Learn to swim. Teach children to swim. Don’t swim alone; swim with a buddy. Don’t swim whilst under the influence of alcohol. Know the water where you are swimming. Remember that lakes and rivers can have strong currents. Don’t dive or jump into unfamiliar or shallow water. Everyone on board should wear a life jacket when in a boat. At home: use fencing with locked gates around pools. Use pool alarms/pool covers.

Here are two reviews of films at Visions du Réel. The first by Trish Thalman is of " Pequenas Voces", a film which is part of the "Focus on Colombia" series. Trish says this is a "splendid and poignant film" (unfortunately this will not be shown again at this festival), and the second film is " Victoria" set in Romania is reviewed by Kathy Morf, this film will be shown again Sunday 10th April 22:00 at the Capitole 2 cinema. "Pequenas Voces" directed by Jairo Carillo and Oscar Andrade. A creative and dedicated team of filmmakers and animation artists have made a splendid and poignant film on behalf of  “the kids, and what they have to say”. The ‘kids’ are four Colombian children who each tell their own story with crayons and paper and voice-overs that take on the tones of delight, happiness, sadness, and the sunny pragmatism that only children can have about war, death, and stunning changes in their lives. Their voices bring to life the one-dimensional drawings that, at first, reflect the lively, colourful and innocent lives they once lived in the countryside.  FARC guerillas invade the lush, peaceful countryside.  The animation moves through four inter-woven stories that move from colourful farmhouses to muted shades of battlefields to accompany the painful reality of what has occurred in the lives of these four children, when FARC guerrillas and Colombian army troops invade the lush, peaceful countryside where they lived, grew coffee beans and corn, played with family, friends, beloved pets and animals that provided the family with food and income. A thirteen year old is offered $25 to leave home and join the guerillas One young boy age 13 is enamoured with the Guerrilla Commander who comes to his poor farmhouse where he lives with his mother, and kindly shows him glossy coloured pages with photos of a variety of guns, offers him $25 to leave home and join the Guerrillas. The oldest ‘recruit’ in his group of ‘child soldiers’ is fifteen.  He learns to shoot guns and marvels at his target accuracy.  He is sent to the ‘front line’ during a fierce gunfight and empties two magazines of bullets, shooting into the air, being terrified that he will hurt or kill someone.  This is not the glamorous life with guns he was ‘promised’. After three months, he is able to return to his mother, no longer an innocent child. A clever young girl from a happy farming family tells of the jokes her father is always playing with her and her two sisters.  One day a group of masked rebels with guns came to their farmhouse and take her father away. She runs to him to tell him not to leave. He picks her up and says “do not worry, I will be back”.  In a matter-of-fact statement, she tells us that her father’s papers were found in a field three days later, but they do not know if he is alive or dead.   A 16-year-old boy sketches his vital story.  He is playing football with his brother, outside their farmhouse when he was 10. A grenade is lobbed onto the field and explodes next to him. He loses his arm and leg. He nearly dies. When he returns to his home, he can only crawl, unable to stand.  One day he is taken to a Foundation and receives a new arm and leg.  He asks for “no pity” and blames no one. He now plays football as a goalie. There were too many painful accidents for his opponents when he played midfield, because of the hard, strong materials in his new leg. The film takes you beyond the sketches of guns, helicopters, bloody bodies, dead animals, burned-out farmhouses that somehow become stories of hope, acceptance and a better future for the little voices that speak for themselves and on behalf of the hundreds of other children who have lived the same pain and sorrows of war in Colombia. "Victoria"  – Film directed by Adrian Voicu & Ana Vlad . A Romanian City caught between two times    Here is Kathy’s Morf's fourth review “ of the film Victoria”. This will be shown again on Sunday 10 th April at 22h00 at the Capitole 2 Cinema. This is an international premiere and is the second movie of a triology after last year's “Metrobranding”.   Kathy says; “This first shot takes the viewer to a Romanian city located at the foot of the Transylvanian Alps. It has been caught in time between then and now. We are taken into the lives of families after the American chemical plant shut down. The film begins well and has me captivated but loses me after fifteen minutes. It has potential but I found it dragged on too long with many little stories instead of showing one continuous story that lasts through the entire 54 minutes”.    Stinks like rotten fish   Victoria City was built in 1954 to welcome an American chemical plant. It is a typical Romanian city with white and grey communist blocs that are left crumbling with peeling paint. The plant brought prosperity to the city but also sickness, foul smells and death. We listen to the families tell us about their experiences with the plant and their attachment to the city. A hunter confides: “I thought about leaving many times. Once my wife and I took a few days vacation in Slovakia and heard a Romanian love song on the radio. I was homesick and came straight back. I love the Transylvanian mountains and the hunting here is amazing. I couldn’t do this everywhere.”  A police officer drives us around Victoria and says  “There were two cities in Romania I never wanted to work in ,and Victoria was one of them. I am still here after five years. The city has stood still, nothing changes here. Maybe if they had changed the name of the city would have helped. There are many poor people living here.”  Then we see a hunter who welcomes us into his home. His walls are covered with hundreds of deer antlers. The floor and couches are covered in bear and other animal furs. With his friends they caught a wild boar and are getting ready to cut it up into pieces. The men cut up the large pieces and the women prepare the sausages.  “There was always a foul smell from the factory but you got used to it after a while.” they say “The amines smelt like rotten fish.” “Many people died at an early age after having worked for years at the plant.” The "Paradise" restaurant is empty except for one person . We move to the fire department where training takes place. Men in uniform arrive in a rush and get ready. Two fire trucks are slowly driven out and parked. About thirty firemen stand in a neat line waiting for instructions. They stand stiffly and sing the national Anthem.  We see the paradise restaurant which is empty except for one person. A communist propaganda painting on the wall shows a happy couple in front of the red flag. Cancelled has been painted over it. In the "cultural house", a discussion about the organization of the European Union is being held. “Do you want to become a European citizen?” an elderly man asks.   All these stories give us a better idea of a city caught between two times and makes us wonder if it will ever change or remain the same as it has been since 1954. 54 minutes in length Spoken in Romanian, Subtitles in English and French

Party for Paléo plus oldies and newies scheduled to play - by Jonas Parson The line-up for the 40th edition of Paléo Festival was revealed in Nyon today by both Daniel Rossellat, the boss of Paléo and Jacques Monnier, head of programming. As Daniel Rossellat reflected, the 40th anniversary of a music festival is always a very special moment, especially since none of them knew the project would last this long - and is set out to last much longer! A 7th day has been added this year to the festival to celebrate it in style so with a series of big stars and musical legends, the 40th Paléo Festival will once again be a great week of music and celebration. It will also be the occasion to thank Nyon and the surrounding area, with a big party in town on the 18th July.  All the volunteer workers at Paléo will be the focus of a book specially edited for the festival called "Complices en Coulisses".  There will be a special show on Friday 24th by Vincent Kucholl and Vincent Veillon, called "120 secondes presente le Paléo" which will look back on the history of the festival with the usual tongue in the cheek humour and audacity that the two Swiss satirists have become known for. A day for memories: Musical legends on Saturday The 40th anniversary milestone was the perfect excuse, explained Daniel Rossellat, to bring back some of the bands that have marked the history of the festival- and indeed, the history of music over the last 40 years. Saturday night is set out to be an evening of legends, with Robert Plant , Joan Baez and Patti Smith performing at l'Asse. As Rossellat quite aptly put it, it will be a night for the older generations to see the bands that made the music of their youth, and for the younger generations, the perfect opportunity to see some of the most important bands of the 20th century. Rossellat retold the story of Joan Baez's first concert at Paléo, in July 1982- they'd received a letter the year before asking if they would be interested if she came to Nyon (they were thrilled!), and when she did come, the Festival beat their own records, with over 22,000 people having bought tickets, and traffic jams all the way to Coppet and Gland (great news for Rossellat, less so for the police officer who was trying to keep things slightly organised) Patti Smith will be performing the whole of her début album “ Horses ”, which came out exactly 40 years ago. Superstars, friends of the festival and a lot of newcomers Continuing with the musical giants coming to Nyon this summer, Sting , Johny Hallyday and Veronique Sanson will be playing alongside younger bands such as Kings of Leon , the American rock sensation who are used to filling up stadiums, and will be playing one of their only two dates in Europe this summer, and Passenger - the stage name of English songwriter Michael Rosenberg - who's song “Let Her Go” topped the charts across the world - including here in Switzerland. He will be presenting his latest album, of which all the proceedings will go to UNICEF. Nothing more need be said - a t-shirt said it all a couple of weeks ago - about Robbie William whose super-show will be opening the festival on Monday, this will most probably be an impressive moment. When it comes to regulars invitees of l'Asse (L'Asse is the name of the actual grounds of Paléo) they will make up one third of the line up this year- slightly more than the usual 1/4-3/4 ratio of the festival, due to anniversary nostalgia – Ben Harper will be back again with the freshly reformed Innocent Criminals, for another concert since his first concert in Nyon in 1994. Also back together after several solo projects are Angus and Julia Stone , another band favoured by Paléo, who, as Jacques Monnier explained, enjoy following the progress of some of the bands they invite to the festival. Back with a new album, always reinventing his music, British dandy Charlie Winston will please the crowd for the second time this summer. But all these known faces only account for a third of the bands who will be coming, and as usual, it is with all the small and relatively unknown bands that Paléo creates a solid line-up. Among these, keep an eye out for the wild rhythms and funky beats of hip-hop band Alo Wala , with their electro-hip-hop, Feu! Chatterton and their poetic rock inspired by Bashung and Gainsbourg, Kate Tempest's energetic flow and the beautiful songs of Benjamin Clementine , young English songwriter whose talent was discovered in the Paris metro. Photo above - courtesy Paléo - Alo Wala The Far East between tradition and avant-garde As always, the Village du Monde is devoted to promoting the culture- both musical and culinary- of a certain area of the world. Showcasing traditional bands, but also and most of all- the newer generations of artists who are innovating on these traditions, so it is opening its doors to China, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia and their neighbouring countries this year. Always a perfect place to discover unknown gems, look out for the traditional Japanese drummers of the Tambours de Tokyo , the surprising Jambinai, who use traditional instruments for their very own brand of metal, the Mongolese mix of country and rock with overtone singing by Hanggai, or the solo performance of Wang Li, great specialist of the Jew's harp ! The ticket office will open next Wednesday, 22nd April, at 12:00, online at paleo.ch, and in certain retail points. Get all the info and the full line-up here Photo above - courtesy Paléo - Tambours de Tokyo.

If you have recently arrived in Switzerland, you may not know that you don't need to head off to Brazil to be part of Carnival. There are parades and mini carnivals taking place all over the country. Some are well known such as the Fastnacht in Basel, or carnival in Lucerne, however the small village of Broc (near Gruyères just an hour from Nyon) put on a splendid  show this weekend, with little children and adults taking part.    The town of Nyon doesn't hold a carnival (there is so much going on the rest of the year) but if you are heading off to a ski resort or thermal baths for a weekend check there isn't a carnival parade planned in that area for the next few weeks. The photos below give you a flavour of what to expect,  and the Smilebox at the end of this has even more photos. It takes a few seconds to load and provides a bit of a colour and music to these cold winter days.    Make a Smilebox slideshow

On Saturday 29th September at 19:30 ”Le Pickpocket”  will be premiered at  L'Elastique Citrique  (Nyon's circus school). This film involves over 70 youngsters from the region and  includes scenes of Nyon and the surrounding area. Jonas Parson, one of Living Nyon's music and film writers, spoke to the director to find out more about this film. Adrien Borruat is an eighteen year-old student at the Gymnase de Nyon. But outside the classroom, he devotes himself to his passion: film-making. He started when he was 14, and he's still as passionate about it. He has just finished working on his last project; an hour-long called the "Pickpocket" This film is an amateur movie made by local youngsters and is led by Adrien and a core committee of three or four people ( his sisters, girlfriend and best friend) under the name of Vol Ô Vent Production. Adrien told Living in Nyon, “Compared to what I'd done before, this is something new, on a much bigger scale. This is our largest project by far, it took a year to make and brings together about 70 people from the region. We want to have fun while making movies with a high standard”.  With no financing, the committee defined the profile of the actors and extras they were looking for before using their contacts to find the appropriate people, who all live in the Nyon area".   “If pickpockets fascinate me so much, it's probably because I've never had my wallet stolen from me”, joked Adrien about the subject of his movie. “I love everything to do with magic and circus, and you get a bit of that in pickpocketing, you even get 'professional' pickpockets who use their skills to entertain!  More seriously though, when I usually start thinking about a new story for a movie, I begin with just one sentence – maybe the core idea of the movie, and then develop from that one sentence to get the whole movie; in this case, it's the story of a young pickpocket who discovers, on a camera he has stolen, the picture of his long-lost love, and how the search for her helps him get a grip on his life, at a time where everything is going haywire.” Filming The filming mainly took place in the old town of Geneva, in Nyon, and in some villages above Nyon, such as Begnins. Although it was mostly filmed in urban settings, the lakeside takes up an important place in the movie – “as a way to give the characters who spend their time in the city somewhere to escape to when they need some calm”, explains Adrien, giving for some beautiful scenes on the lakeside at sunset. “We took a lot of time finding where we could film parts of the movie, and it made me rediscover our region - and realise how lucky we are to live in such beautiful settings”. See a trailer of the movie below Hard work “Obviously making a movie isn't easy- organising filming days, that and the actor's availabilities and the unpredictability of the weather, it was quite hard work!  Despite all the different obstacles that came our way it was also a good experience to learn and to get better. At the beginning of the summer, the filming was over, with approximately 100 hours of filming. “Each shot is filmed about seven times, to make sure we get at least one good shot. Then I spent nearly my whole summer editing the movie. You normally count one hour of editing for every minute of the movie, I reckon I spent about 100 hours for the editing, obviously some scenes are easier to edit than others!” Adrien recalls one time when they were filming in a park in Geneva, when suddenly two policemen came up to them- Adrien was sure they were going to tell them off for filming in the park, but they only told them to keep their belongings close- and look out for pickpockets! “All in all", told me Adrien," this film was a great adventure, that brought together about 15 actors and 50 extras from the region, from 11 to over 70 years old. The music for the film was made by a local band, called "Insecure", in exchange for making a video-clip for the band. It was hard work and lots of fun, and the screening on the 29 th is the best way to come and meet us and see what we've done, and it's the consecration of a years work.”   “Le Pickpocket” will be shown on the 29 th of September at 7:30 pm at L'Elastique Citrique (Nyon) there will also be another screening  on the 7 th of October at at 5 pm at l'atellier de Mlle F. (Crassier) (to book a seat for the 7 th of October, send a mail to : collectif46@gmail.com ) Free entry, donation at the end of the movie.

For those readers looking for ideas to make a donation to a local charity at Christmas, here are a couple of suggestions. The first, is a challenge that was undertaken by Scott Poynton, Executive Director of TFT - The Forest Trust , whose headquarters are based in Nyon. In 2014, Scott embarked on a Moustache growing adventure for the Movember Foundation to raise money and awareness for men's health. It was a great success and he ended up raising about CHF 5,000. This year, he decided he would have another go but this time, climbing the equivalent altitude of Mount Everest! When climbers ascend Everest, they typically fly from Kathmandu (Nepal's capital) to a place called Lukla which is at 2,860m altitude. They then walk the 60km to Everest Base Camp before ascending the mountain (8,848m). That means they've climbed 5,988m from Lukla. As Lac Léman is at 372m and the top of La Dôle (the mountain in the Jura near Nyon) is at 1,670m, the difference is 1,298m. So by walking that distance (total distance about 30km) 5 times, Scott has clocked up up 6,490m in altitude which is more than the 5,988m from Lukla to the top of Everest. Although the main fundraising month of November is now over there are still a few days left in December where you can help  Scott's fundraising challenge . Photo above - Scott Poynton in right of photo below La Dôle The second charity is La Maison des Enfants in Nyon. The Maison des Enfants is a charitable association set in a large house just on the outskirts of Nyon and is open in the afternoon for all children from age 6 to 12. Here children are looked after by professionals and volunteers and all free of charge, this service is particularly appreciated by working parents on a low income.  The house has a large garden, so the children can play outside and create handicrafts, use computers and have help with homework.  Donations help the Maisons des Enfants continue with their work. Click here to donate. You can even help them by simply providing a snack for the afternoon "gouter" for the children. Note: A portion of the profits from the "Living along Lac Léman" book is donated to this charity by Living in Nyon

There will be fireworks at 22:15 on the 1st August at Nyon's lakeside to celebrate Swiss National Day. Nyon château will also be lit up red for the occasion.  Prior to the fireworks there will be an ceremony beginning at 19:00 at the Esplanade des Marroniers. At 19:40, there will be the ringing of bells, at 19:45 the presentation of the flag, the official ceremony will begin at 19:50 including an address by Mr Darius Rochebin , presenter of the nightly 19:30 news on RTS television. After the ceremony finishes, there will be a parade through the town ending up by the Rive. Members of the public can take part in this parade. Children can take part too and carry lanterns through the town. More details in the poster below.

Help Clean Up Nyon On Friday the 11th of September it's "Clean Up Day" in Nyon. Volunteers are welcome to help clean up (collecting rubbish etc) in the principal tourist areas of the town, these being: the terrace and the area of Place du Château, the promenade des Vieilles Murailles, l’Esplanade Jules César, l’Esplanade des Marronniers, la Rue de la Gare, le Parc du Bourg de Rive and along the lake side. At midday, a free picnic lunch will be offered on the terrace of the castle to all volunteers before the clean up begins. Photo below - the terrace of Nyon's castle The clean up itself will finish at around 16:30. To volunteer, please email Caroline Demierre Burri at Nyon tourist office before the 8th September  caroline.demierre@nrt.ch  stating your surname and first name so you can be added to the volunteer list. Even if you don't speak much French, this is a good way for newcomers to get know others and locals in a volunteering capacity. Public Toilets in Four Nyon Restaurants  It's often difficult to find a public toilet in areas of Nyon that are outside the main tourist areas of the town, so the council has come up with an interesting new initiative called "Welcoming Toilets". Four Nyon restaurants will open their doors to enable members of the public to use the toilets without any obligation for them to eat or drink on the premises.  Each restaurant will receive 100 CHF per month to make their facilities available.  This solution avoids the need for a much larger investment of constructing toilet blocks in the town. The four restaurants participating in the scheme are: the Café du Boiron in Route de Stand 70, "Les Fontaines" in Chemin d'Eysins 45 A,  Les Glycines  in Chemin des Plantaz 56,  et l'Entre-Deux  in Route de Divonne 4. Fa Sol Lac - Concerts by the lake on Saturday 5th  There will be free concerts  by the lake in Nyon on Saturday 5th September from 15:00 onwards  The energy provided by these concerts will be supplied by solar energy. Solar Sound System, Gypson 5 CH and other bands are on the line up. Roadworks end in Rolle  On Saturday the 12th September the  town of Rolle will celebrate the end of the roadworks that have been dominating the centre and outskirts of the town for many months.  "More Beautiful than Before" is the slogan attributed to the town on its website now that it has had a "lifting".  The celebrations begin at 09:00 with breakfast offered by the commune, at 11:00 there will be an official speech folllowed by an apéro. At 15:00 there will be a waiters' race in the town. More events are planned throughout the day with a bouncy castle, balloon sculpture, bars and stalls.