The film Lion is currently being shown at Nyon cinema in English (v ersion originale) on Thursday 9th, Friday 10th and Sunday 12th March at 18:00. Synopsis of the film and trailer at end of this post. Other upcoming films in English include Loving on Monday 13th March at 20:45  Also on the 13th, as part of the Visions du Réel festival on tour season, the documentary film Nice People will be screened at 20:30.  Nice People i s about a group of young men who fled the war in Somalia and have ended up in a rural town in Sweden where integration is tough. Something needs to be done so a local entrepreneur gets an idea, why not use sport as a bridge to help unite everyone? Note: this film will be shown in Swedish with French subtitles. The film Hidden Figures will be shown on Tuesday 16th March as part of the Ladies Night movie series Oscar winning (best picture ) Moonlight  will be shown on the 20th March at 20:30 Synopsis of  Lion  Five year old Saroo gets lost on a train which takes him thousands of miles across India, away from home and family. Saroo must learn to survive alone in Kolkata, before ultimately being adopted by an Australian couple. Twenty five years later, armed with only a handful of memories and Google Earth, he sets out to find his lost family and finally return to his first home. For all details of films see Nyon cinema here

Back in 2010 Living in Nyon interviewed internationally acclaimed visual artist and painter Bernard Garo at his studio in Nyon ( see interview here ). This year Garo has an exhibition at the Espace Arlaud in Lausanne which celebrates 10 years of the artist's work. There are various events planned around the exhibition which runs until the 26th March and a book has been released to coincide with the exhibition.  On Saturday 11th March from 17:30-19:30 there will be a guided visit of the exhibition accompanied by music and dance, a poet and a visual artist.  The Espace Arlaud is in 2 Place de la Riponne in Lausanne. More on the artist click here.

Next Wednesday 15th March it's "Unplugged Kids Day" . This initiative is to encourage kids (and their parents!) to disconnect from their screens for one day and to enjoy some time outdoors. One of the ways parents and children can participate is by heading off to the nature reserve and zoo La Garenne in the village of Le Vaud, around a 15-20 minute drive from Nyon. Parking is free. There are also direct Postal buses that leave from Nyon and Gland ( click here for timetable).  La Garenne is open from 09:00-17:30.  There is a special entry fee for Unplugged Kids - Free for Kids 0-6 years old Kids 7-9 years CHF 7 and Adults CHF 17. Illustration above - courtesy La Garenne If you can't make it up to Le Vaud you can participate remotely from wherever you are in Switzerland  by unplugging for a day and spending that day with your children. For more details check out the Facebook page here Useful Websites for Parents in Geneva and Vaud There are a number of websites and publications specifically geared towards parents living in the local area. A few of these are listed below. Know-it-all passport.  This first and the most comprehensive is Know-it-all passport book and website .  The book is now in its 10th edition and is packed with information for parents with chapters on Pre-natal and Newborn Care, Parent and Baby Child Activities, Healthcare, Special Needs, Schools and Universities, Museums, Winter Activities and much more. The website lists school holidays in Geneva, Vaud and Neighbouring France and has an activities calendar for children  and parents. Know-it-all passport has produced "Education guide Switzerland" which is a catalogue of all English language schools and academic programmes in Switzerland. The website carries interesting articles from guest bloggers who blog on a variety of subjects from education to gardening and photography. Loisirs.ch Loisirs.ch is a website in French and calls itself  "Le portail romand des loisirs pour toute la famille" (the Romandie portal for family leisure) and it lists all kinds of activities for different ages. Check this post out on  what to do with the children in the Easter Holidays  Lausanne Mom Lausanne Mom is an interesting and informative blog written by a mother living on the outskirts of Lausanne. The author often writes about places of interest to visit with children such as this post on "Winter with kids" or another on visiting the Alimentarium in Vevey  or on visiting the Swiss Vapeur Parc in Le Bouveret . Geneva Family Diaries Geneva Family Diaries blogs about family adventures in Switzerland and lists family friendly places, restaurants and events to take little ones. Check this post out on flying with kids from Geneva airport. Expatparent Expatparent.ch  is a website to help parents, parents-to-be, and new arrivals to Switzerland and it also carries some interesting articles such as this one on "Troc Season" (a troc is like a car boot sale or jumble sale) Note: Make sure you check the dates of the articles on some of the above blogs to ensure all the info, such as opening times of museums etc, is still relevant. Facebook There are many other Facebook groups for parents in the local area, some of these are closed groups, some are open to all. One of the biggest is English Speaking Mums in Switzerland. Finally, did you know there is a hammock in the playground in Parc de la Morache (behind the train station) in Nyon? Perfect for tired children (or parents?!)

Green film festival, Archaeology Film festival, Play in English, Competition for Paléo tickets, Cully Jazz Festival, Tango music, Full moon Fondue, Saturday at the Library event.  Here is a selection of events coming up in March in the Nyon region and in Geneva. March 9 - 12   Nyon - Green Film Festival  Environmental film festival. Films shown in Nyon, Geneva and other towns in Swiss Romandie. Click here for full programme   Some films screened in English with French subtitles including The Messenger : See trailer below. Saturday 11 - Nyon    Saturday of Vaud libraries - Le Samedi des Bibliothèques vaudoises Events for adults and children at Nyon library including coffee and croissants at 09:00. Traditional games to play and a workshop given by Pierre-Yves Pièce on how to trace your family tree (in French) . Details here 11  -  Nyon Full Moon Fondue by Nyon's lakeside from 19:00   Details here Friday 10th  - Nyon  - Music at the Conservatoire de l'Ouest Vaudois Tango Duo - Narciso Saúl et Gaëlle Poirier - Reserve tickets by emailing info.nyon@cov-vd.ch or click here for more info 18 - 19 Geneva - Writing Workshop Romesh Gunesekera , a Sri Lankan-born British author will be a guest writing instructor at the Geneva Writers' Group next workshop. Romesh has been writing and publishing since the early nineties. A finalist for the Man Booker Prize, he has received numerous awards for his novels, short story collections and poetry. His work has appeared in Granta, The New Yorker, the London Review of Books. More details of the workshop - click here 21 - 25  Geneva - Play in English  Winner of the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and several Tony Awards, including Best Play, Lost in Yonkers is American playwright Neil Simon's most celebrated play. Honoured with more Tony Award and Oscar nominations combined than any other writer, Neil Simon is one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedic playwrights of modern times. Details click here 21 - 25 March Bi-annual Archaeology film festival at the Usine à Gaz in Nyon  -  Free entry Details here 28 March - Nyon   Line up of Paléo festival revealed - Tickets go on sale Wednesday 5th April at midday. Note: Paléo is currently running a competition until the 8th May to win tickets to the festival. Click here for more details 31 March - 8th April - Cully Jazz Festival Jazz festival in the pretty wine village of Cully near Lausanne. 31 March - 8th April - Jazz festival in the pretty wine village of Cully near Lausanne. International artists and bands on the line up including McCoy Tyner Trio with special guests Geri Allen & Craig Taborn playing on Tuesday 4th April.

Nyon Région Tourisme  recently reported that 2016 was a good year for the area with 181, 326 nights spent at tourist accommodation establishments. This represents a 22.9% increase on 2015. This increase bucked the general trend in Switzerland which saw a drop in hotel nights, which was mainly due to the strong Swiss franc. Happy days for Nyon Région tourism Nyon Région incorporates the towns and villages of Coppet, Nyon, Saint-Cergue and Rolle and has profited from a strong brand and logo called "La Côte, JURA-VIGNOBLE-LEMAN".  This promotes the many summer and winter activities that there are to do in the area along with the countless festivals, cultural and heritage events throughout the year. In 2016, 41% of the visitors to the area were Swiss, followed by 9% French visitors, English 7%, German 6.5 % and North Americans 4%  and the general pattern of visits has been for short stay holidays of a few days. Above photo - Rolle during an annual Naval parade. The "La Côte Pass " which is made available to all visitors who stay in hotels in the region, has also helped in promoting the area. Keep up to date with offers and events A reminder that Nyon tourism often runs special offers on events or activities for both locals and tourists alike and these are occasionally featured on Living in Nyon. If you don't want to miss out on any of these, sign up for the weekly newsletter on the right-hand side of this site. This newsletter is a summary of the previous week's posts. Living in Nyon is also on Facebook , Twitter @LifeinNyon and on Instagram

The Living in the Know  podcast for March 2017 is now out. This podcast is a collaboration between Know-it-all-passport and Living in Nyon and this month Lisa and Catherine discuss volunteering opportunities in the region. They explain how volunteering is a great way to meet new people if you have just arrived in Switzerland, and highlight how helpful it can be for getting to know different clubs, communities and groups whilst assisting others. Focusing on four main organisations they show how volunteers don't necessarily need to speak French, as some organisations operate in English. Click on the arrow to listen now. https://soundcloud.com/living-in-nyon/my-opinion-podcast-at-march This month's podcast has kindly been sponsored by ASC International House . This language school near Cornavin station offers a new range of day and evening French, English and German courses , including  French for Breakfast, French Conversation, French Through Song, Theatre and Drama or Song,  Business Writing and Negotiating. Small classes with a custom-designed personalised approach to teaching . Click here  for more details. Links to organisations mentioned in the podcast. Note: If any readers know of other local volunteering opportunities and would like them to be mentioned in a future article - email info@livinginnyon.com with your suggestions. ICV Zoe for Life Serve the City  Sert ta Ville Nyon Photo above in header - flags in the lake in Nyon at one of the Bains des 3 jetees events (a volunteer organisation)

Les Hivernales - Music Festival, Flea market on Sunday, Jazz at the 1306 Club on Friday. Photo above C. Nelson-Pollard  - Lights above the Salle Communale in Nyon promoting the festival Les Hivernales , Nyon's winter rock music festival kicked off on Thursday night and will continue until Sunday 26th February in 12 different venues across the town.   Full programme here Below video of U.S rapper Akua Naru playing at the Usine a Gaz on Saturday 25th February On Sunday 26th February it's the monthly flea market by the lake from 08:00 -18:30 On Friday 23rd February there will be jazz in Nyon at the 1306 Club a t 20:30 with the Bent Persson Trio. Free entry, hat passed round for the artists

Please note: this is an updated version of the previous article. The time for tax declaration is approaching. If you are Swiss or a UK/US resident in Switzerland, who has to file a tax declaration in Switzerland and you need advice from a financial expert, the consultancy,  My Project  can help with an experienced tax advisor. For UK/US residents that have to file in their home country, My Project can also help. Contact Finn Toennessen, the International Community Executive at My Project: finn.toennessen @ myproject.pro. Telephone  +41 79 552 96 88 Finn speaks fluent English. He is the representative for the whole of the Lake Geneva region and neighbouring France. Note: For readers working in Switzerland but living in France ( Frontaliers ) My Project could help save an average of CHF 5,000 or more per year such as deducting travelling expenses and getting a part of their 'Tax at source' reimbursed. Readers who book an appointment with Finn before 15 March, will be eligible to discuss and work on an income tax simulator with no obligation or fees. My Project is a consultancy with over 150 expert staff. It answers customer questions on all aspects of finance, from tax to insurance, and provides professional, private advice. My Project  is certified with FINMA ( click here  to find out more about this financial regulatory board).

Here is a selection of local and national articles recently published on Swiss news/information sites. Photo above - C. Nelson-Pollard.  The vineyards around the village of Chexbres near Vevey From La Côte newspaper - 9th February 2017 100,000 visitors to the Zoo de la Garenne Since the Zoo de la Garenne re-opened its doors last year after closing for renovation, the zoo has received over 100,000 visitors. The zoo situated in Le Vaud , rescues and helps injured wild animals and is used to educate the general public (particularly school groups) about the biodiversity of the region. It houses many varieties of European animals and birds. Animals include wolves, lynx and foxes, and many reptiles. There is a cafeteria on site and a play area. Louis Derungs - Personality of La Côte 2016 Louis Derungs has been named "Personality of La Côte" 20 16, in a public vote by the readers of the newspaper. The five finalists in the competition were the  art collective Hapax 21 , Olympic athlete Lea Sprunger ( read our interview with Lea here) the Scouts of Nyon (six scouts set themselves a challenge of travelling all 26 cantons of Switzerland in less than 19 hours), André Borschberg , resident of Nyon and co-founder of the Solar Impulse project, the first ever round-the-world solar flight, and finally, Louis Derungs. Louis was hit by an electric current of 15,000 volts near Morges railway station in 2013. Miraculously he survived the incident though both his arms were amputated as a result of the accident. Nevertheless, he went on to write a book about his experience and has continued to live life to the full: he has cycled the West Coast bike route in the U.S.A; has bungee jumped; and is currently a student at the University of Lausanne and writes for Bilan magazine. You can hear Louis speak (in English) giving a talk on combatting tough life challenges at this TEDx event in St Gallen. English column in La Côte newspaper published every Monday A reminder that there is a Living in Nyon column published in English in La Côte every Monday. It is a light hearted look at living alongside Lac Léman. Alert re Fake Swisscom Invoices  Le News recently carried an article on fake Swisscom invoices bearing trojans (a malicious computer programme) designed to hack computers. Raising Global and Mobile Kids Know-it-all passport - recently featured an interesting post entitled Raising Global and Mobile kids Switzerland at the Oscars Diccon Bewes , author of the book "Swiss Watching" writes that  Switzerland has two film nominations at the Oscars this year.  See trailer below of one of these films - "My life as a Zucchini"  directed by Claude Barras. Claude Barras was born in Sierre, he studied computer graphics at ECAL (École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne) and now works as a freelance illustrator in Geneva. Out and about with the butler of St Moritz The website Newly Swissed has an article on skiin g in the company of a guide/outdoor butler from the Carlton Hotel in St Moritz. Best nightlife spots in Geneva 2016 My Big Geneva featured an article on the best nightlife spots in 2016 Geneva (according to its readers) Useful info for parents Lausanne Mom has posted a useful article for parents living near the Lausanne area entitled Easter School Holiday activities in Lausanne and around

There will be an "Inspired Writing Retreat" at the Château de Bossey from March 11- 12. The château is just a few miles from Nyon. Activities on the retreat include interactive writing, sharing, meditation, yoga, tips from published authors and inspirational leaders. There is an adult programme for the weekend and also a programme for participants' children. Full details on website - click here  and on the Facebook page here Photo above - Château de Bossey (courtesy - Inspired Writing Retreat)

Le Caveau de Nyon is holding a raclette a gogo (all you can eat!) evening from 19:00on Friday 17th in the lovely wine cellar of the château of Nyon. CHF 35 per person includes a "planchette" ( a wooden board with a variety of dried meats) as a starter, raclette, followed by fruit salad and coffee.  Reservations recommended  info@caveaudenyon.ch  or call Stephane Le Bidre on 022 361 95 25 The film "Jackie" will be shown in English on Monday 20th February at Nyon Capitole cinema at 20:30.

Swimming Lessons over the Easter holidays and throughout the year  Clinique La Lignière offers  group and individual swimming lessons  for both children and adults throughout the year and  during the upcoming Easter holidays. The friendly swimming instructors speak English and give classes ranging from complete beginner to advanced stages of swimming. Contact Sarah Lailler, manager of the swimming school on 022 999 65 81 email  natation@la-ligniere.ch   Clink link here for more details. The clinic itself (see video below) is set in lovely grounds situated just beyond the town of Gland. In addition to swimming lessons, Aquagym classes are available six days of the week, there is a gym, jacuzzi and sauna on site.  Personal fitness training, massages for relaxation, pregnancy, back and sport are also available. Centre de Santé et Fitness Acquaforme from Clinique La Lignière on Vimeo .