There are three pairs of tickets to be won to see U.S band Elysian Fields playing in Nyon at the l'Usine à Gaz in Nyon on Friday 14th October. Just send an email to info@livinginnyon.com with your name by midday on Thursday 11th October. Names will be picked at random and you will be informed by Thursday evening if you have won a pair of tickets. See video below

Humorous Speech and Table Topics Speech Contest  The International Toastmasters Club of Nyon is hosting a Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contest on Tuesday 11 October 2016 19:15 – 21:30 at the Uni Global Union Building in Nyon. Members of the public are welcome to attend the event to find out more about this club, to have a laugh, have fun and to socialise. Entrance is free .   Link here Any questions? Email   christine.carey@iprolink.ch  or  helenvond@gmail.com  French/ English language exchange evenings start new season - Note new venue The new autumn season of free French/ English language exchange café evenings has now started ( see previous article here ) and are now at a new venue. The cafés no longer takes place at the the Hotel de Rive, they have  moved to the Hotel de l'Ange and they are held on Tuesdays from 18:30 to 20:00. There is also a new Facebook group for the exchange which has all the details and there is info on the Glocals site, click here

Be observant at Bancomats.  Learn about two local cheese specialities in the October podcast. Nyon Regional Police are advising members of the public to take extra caution when drawing money from Bancomats (ATMs) in the region. Thieves have been taking advantage of the earlier dark nights to observe bank customers entering their pincode into the machines. The thief distracts the customer by various methods such as pretending to fall, they then ask for help, while another accomplice is waiting in the wings to snatch the card from the machine. Be on the look out! Just like the heron down by the Fishermens' huts in Nyon. On a happier note, the new October Living-in the Know podcast is now out! This podcast is a collaboration between Living in Nyon and Know-it-all passport .  In October's podcast Catherine and Lisa talk about local cheese specialities: the Malakoff, the Vacherin Mont d'Or, and the fondue. Tune in to find out more about a great offer from Nyon tourist board with a fondue - walk - train ticket for just CHF 35. Lisa also teaches Catherine some French words that sound the same but mean something completely different! Useful links mentioned in podcast Malakoff articles -   here and here Nyon tourist board

Can Nyon be like Sion? - Debate on the future of local shops and businesses.  Second-hand English books for sale. Flute Festival in Nyon, British artists, composers and artists invited.   The annual debate Et maintenant/And now ? organised by UNI Global Union will take place on Wednesday 5th October 2016 from 18.30 until 22.00. The theme this year is Global Economy, Local Econom y and will focus on the challenges faced by local businesses to thrive, stay relevant and compete in the global economy and against the rise of online shopping. Some of the speakers invited to this event include: Nicolas Servageon - Specialist in promotion of local businesses, Laurence Zaied, specialist in digital marketing and E-commerce, Alexander Benicchio, director of Manor Nyon, David Pernet, president of SIC (the society of shops and local businesses of Nyon) Daniel Rossellat, mayor of Nyon, Philip Jennings, Secretary General of UNI Global Union. There will also be a report on how Sion has managed to rejuvenate the centre of its own town  centre. The event is free and will take place at the UNI Global Union headquarters in Nyon. Details, click here  and see poster below Second-Hand English book sale in Nyon until Saturday 8th October The volunteers of Nyon hospital are currently running a second hand book stall in the centre of La Combe shopping Centre. The stall will be present until the 8th October. It has a decent sized collection of English, French and German second hand books. Flute Festival in Nyon and Gland - Thursday 6th -Sunday 9th October La Côte Flute Festival will take place from the 6th-9th October at the château of Nyon, the Villa Thomas in Nyon and two different venues in Gland. Great Britain has been invited as a partner for the festival 2016 (in 2014 it was the Netherlands). British artists, composers and exhibitors will be coming for the four-day biennial Festival. Daytime and evening master classes, workshops and performances throughout the day and evening. See full programme here

Autumn Fair and Special launch of Know-it-all passport at Expat-Expo It's the Autumn fair/Oktoberfest in the centre of Nyon (and also the wine festival, see previous post ) from 07:00-20:00 this Saturday the 1st October 2016. Stands, music, artisanal beers, and more. On Sunday 2nd October it's Expat-Expo  from 11:00 -17:00 at the La Praille Centre at the Ramada Conference Centre in Geneva. Whether you are new to the area, or have been here a while, this annual event is a great opportunity to gather new information about living in Switzerland, to discover clubs and associations, pick up some British cheese and meet new people. This year it's going to be a very special occasion over at the Know-it-all passport stand as it will be the official launch of the 10th edition! This event will be taking place within Expat Expo (free entry) so you will be able to take advantage of over 100 other stands that day. Fluorescent green and silver are the colours of the new edition and special  glow-in-the-dark drinks (with and without alcohol) will be handed out to all between 14:00 and 16:00 . There will be the entertainment tool! The drinks will be prepared by bartender Fanan,  tossing shakers and bottles over his shoulder with as much gusto as Tom Cruise! In addition, with each copy of Know-it-all passport sold that day at full price,  CHF 10 will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association  in honour of the 10th edition! Full info, map and more details here

There are four pairs of tickets to be won for the screening (in English, subtitles in French) of Bridget Jones's Baby on Monday 3rd October at the Capitole Cinema Nyon at 20:30. To be in with a chance to win a pair of tickets, email  info@capitole-nyon.ch  stating Bridget Jones - Competition in the email header, and include your name and email. You will be contacted by the cinema if you have won tickets.

More Events coming up in the Nyon region  On Sunday 25th September it's the annual "Déjeuner sur L'Herbe" (lunch on the grass) event in the ground of the château of Prangins from 10:00 -17.00 Hair, make-up and dance demonstrations from the 18th century, guided tours of the château's kitchen garden and more. Take a picnic! A chance to dress up in 18th century costume!  Details   See photos from last year here Wine Fête in Nyon On the 30th September and the 1st October it's the Fête de la Vigne in Nyon. There's a very full programme on the Saturday 1st October which starts at 09:00 and continues until 01:00 in the morning - stands, wine tasting in the centre of town, music and more! Jazz Concert at the Conservatoire in Nyon  The Bopster Vocal Project performing at 20.30 on Thursday 23rd September Details here Also check out the "Night of Scarecrows" event in Morges on Saturday the 24th September. Market, Guggenmusik bands, parade of winemakers in Denens, fireworks, party ending in the burning of the scarecrows! Full details here.

Spotlight on Schools 1 -  Living in Nyon goes behind the scenes of the three schools that are currently advertised on the site. We begin with Brillantmont International School in Lausanne.    Hung in the entrance hall of  this school is an electronic board that gently reminds pupils that the mid year exams are not far away; just one example of  the school using modern technology combined with traditional teaching values to help its students. Pupils who attend  Brillantmont not only get to learn in classrooms in the school's elegant buildings  (with sweeping views over Lausanne, the Alps and lake), but they also become part of a warm friendly atmosphere at a school that has been in the same family for five generations.    The school was founded in 1882 (it began as girls boarding school), but it is has definitely moved with the times as it is now a mixed school for both day and boarders and takes in pupils from over 35 different nationalities. Living in Nyon went to visit the school in February and spoke to Sarah Frei, the school's head of marketing. She says: "We use modern technology for our teaching methods and our small class sizes mean that we can give maximum attention to each student. We also lay emphasis on critical thinking rather than rote learning and we encourage students to express their own judgement". A help for working parents "We have also adapted to the needs of modern society by offering a service for busy working professional parents who have children in our day school. If  parents need to work late, we will happily let the pupil work quietly in a supervised study hall from 17:00 to 18:30 and if necessary, they can eat dinner at the school.  Should the parents need to be out of the country for any reason, the pupil can also be accommodated within the boarding school. We can also collect pupils from Lausanne train station each morning." (Ed note : Lausanne  is a  30 minute train ride from Nyon, 25 minutes from Gland and 12 minutes from Morges ). Photo below: The range of publications in the school library, from The Economist  to the New Scientist to L'Hebdo to Muy Interesante . "Whether the child is a day pupil or a boarder, we take great care to ensure that the family atmosphere that has prevailed since the school began, still remains.  We have a house system in the school for day students and boarders, run by elected student leaders.  The aim is to help students feel part of a group (the names of houses are named after famous Swiss such as Piccard, Anker, Rousseau), to provide peer mentoring for new students and to organise different events within the house or between houses to create a sense of belonging and help everyone feel part of the school community."  The traditional building (tennis courts and grounds behind) set in 13,000 sq m of parkland. "We pride ourselves in our multicultural outlook, students come to us from all backgrounds and countries, however we also try to restrict our numbers so we have no more that 10% of any nationality to ensure that the school doesn't become dominated by one particular culture or language.   The teaching is in English in the school, but we actively encourage students to learn French and to discover Switzerland. We organise social and sporting events outside the school such as skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking etc.  We also arrange cultural visits for pupils, they can visit Swiss destinations and further afield, and locally they can go to theatrical or ballet performances in Lausanne and we take part in the Model United Nations programme.    The elegant school interior One of the the boarder's bedrooms Preparing for university The school is currently in the process of building a multi purpose hall in the heart of the Brillantmont campus which will be used for all sorts of events: sporting and cultural. The hall will be built underground to maintain the beautiful gardens in front of the existing historically protected buldings. Further info Brillantmont offers the following programmes to boys and girls aged 11-18 British programme Years 7-13 IGCSE,  AS and A level examinations) American programme Grades 6-12 (High School Graduation Diploma) Language programme - officially recognized language examinations Winter Course short stay language and ski programme (January and February) Summer courses in July and August for 12-17 year old boys and girls who come for a flexible stay of two to six weeks. Brillantmont is a member of Swiss Learning - an organisation committed to the excellence of Swiss education. Click on the ad on the sidebar to go to the school's website or click here .

Photo above - Alt J - courtesy Paléo There are are still some tickets  available for Paléo for Tuesday 23 July and Friday 26th July. On the programme for Tuesday are: Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Phoenix (Indie Pop),  Sophie Hunger, Alt J, Palma Violets, Mama Rosin and more. See full line up here Friday's programme includes Nick Cave, Dizzee Rascal and more. See full line up here  Photo above - Dizzee Rascal courtesy @ Tim and Barry - Paléo Vote for your favourite teenage DJ! A reminder that on Wednesday 1st May from 16:00 , seven teenage DJs will be playing at the L' After Club in Nyon competing in the first round for a place in the Caribateens competition. Winners will play on the Sunday on the Caribana stage at the festival! Nominations are: Jack Vegas, DJ Vidy, 88 Project, DJ D 96, Dead Boyz, Helvetica and Calvin Bride.   Go along and vote for your favourite DJ!    Entry is free! Details here Photo in banner. Tweek who will be playing on Sunday 9 June at the Caribateens day Details here

Business Networking and the Economist on those Online networking sites. There are a plethora of business associations in the Lake Geneva area, many of which organise networking events. Recent examples have been a talk by the CFO of Ebay International hosted by the British/Swiss Chamber of Commerce , to a Mentorship Café hosted by GWIT . (Geneva Women in International Trade).These events serve a growing need to the employees of multinational companies that continue to relocate to the Nyon and Vaud area. These companies not only new bring new staff, but independent consultants and small businesses spring up on the back of all this new development. All positive news in the current economic climate. However, if you are one of those people who run a small business and you want to meet others in the same position, how do you get to find out about all the networking events available? Local Bus-Net is an obvious but simple solution to this dilemma - a one stop site, recently created by two entrepreneurs, James Cullinan and Andrea Lung, it aims to list the many networking events in the Romandie area. Doing business over a glass of wine James originally from South Africa, has lived for over 16 years in various European cities and says; “I enjoy going to networking events wherever I am in the world. It’s fun to do business with a glass of wine in your hand, here in Switzerland some of the events have brought in some fine speakers and I have met some interesting people through them. Yet, although these events are very useful, sometimes you end up meeting the same groups of people in your area and although I’ve come away with a business card or two, I don’t necessarily follow all leads up afterwards. So I hit upon the idea of setting up an umbrella site for networking here for two reasons. Firstly, the site has a calendar that lists all the business events scheduled that month, so in one place you can see everything going on and not miss out on any networking opportunities. Secondly, as the site will also connect independent contractors in the area, (we will link Anglophile networks with Francophone ones) if someone is looking for a specific skill or business, they can use the site to be reminded of what and who there is out there and they can follow up any leads from events they have attended. The Economist and the Walled Garden James continues, “The other reason we set this up is a pragmatic one. We recognise that it is time-consuming to build and maintain a business profile on online social networks, let alone several. There was an interesting article in the Economist a while ago called “Everywhere and Nowhere” which likened social networking such as Facebook , Twitter , Flickr, Linked In etc to a walled garden, in that these sites are useful but there is no exchange of content between the garden’s boundaries, so you have to keep logging on to each site to share information with other colleagues (see a Common Space blog article that discusses this). Small businesses do not have a large public relations machine behind them. Rather than develop another fresh profile on our site, and take pains to ensure that it is consistent with the others, we simply offer the opportunity to hyperlink to your preferred profile(s) on our site”. Andrea Lung explains: “I have worked in international project management before and I know that support networks are crucial. If you are a newly arrived expatriate then it takes time to establish your network of friends and associates Plus, for new businesses the burn out rate is fast. You're required to succeed in the first few years. We like to think of this site as a virtual coffee machine to congregate around when you want to meet and get to know others. We have kept the site simple, you don’t have to become a member, you don’t have to create a profile page, we are simply creating bridges between networks of people. I’ve have discovered there are a lot of talented business people out there in Suisse Romande, by creating this network of networks we hope to help others improve their business opportunities which in turn will help their enjoyment of living here too. Quality of life in Switzerland James chose to live in Switzerland because of the great quality of life it offers and says “since I’ve moved here it has exceeded all expectations”. I live in Lausanne, it’s a great city, where the town ends, the vineyards begin, a superb combination. Andrea originally from Hungary agrees; “I live in Pully and it’s beautiful, I’m lucky to have the lake and the nature that surrounds it on my doorstep.” Check out the site. A bulletin of upcoming events is emailed out fortnightly.

If you are interested in all things literary, then you are spoiled for choice in the Geneva and Vaud area.  Not only is the area home to a large and important writers' group (covering both fiction and non-fiction - see below), a reading group in Crans that is open to the public, but in a few weeks, the fabulous "Le Livre sur le Quais" will take place on the lake side in Morges from the 5th to the 7th September 2014. English authors such as Andy McNab - "B ravo Two Zero, Immediate Action and Seven Troop",  Caroline Lawrence of "The Roman Mysteries" fame, Don Pollock - "The Devil All the Time", Nathan Filer –" The Shock of the Fall"(Overall winner Costa Book Award 2014), will all be present at the fair. The festival programme will be finalised later in August , but the weekend already looks very promising indeed.   Some of the writers' events take place on the CGN ferries. Cruising up and down on the lake listening to a reading or a talk,  can be a lovely way to spend a weekend!  Note - La Page Cornée the French literary group based in Gland, will also be present with authors' talks and events. Photo below - Author Douglas Kennedy in conversation on a boat at the 2012 fair Below -  Reading by the quayside Meanwhile over in Geneva the Geneva Writers' Group will resume its activities on September the 20th with a workshop entitled " Essay & Flash Nonfiction: Personal Narratives".  Started in 1993, The Geneva Writers’ Group brings together over 200 English language writers from around 30 countries. The objective of the group  is to encourage all forms of creative writing in English and to create a supportive community of both beginning and supportive writers. Meetings are held monthly, from September to June at the Geneva Press Club, with a programme of writing workshops, critiquing sessions, and master classes.  Every two years the group holds the International Geneva Writers’ Conference at Webster University in Bellevue, alternating with a “Meet the Agents” weekend.  The group publishes a biennial collection of prose and poetry,   The group also co-ordinate small writing groups, a mentoring service, and hosts the GWG Literary Prizes. Photo below from the GWG conference in 2010 English Reading Group in Crans-pres-Celigny - Open to new members. Marilyn Packham, a British resident living in Crans près Céligny would like to let other Living in Nyon readers know about a reading group that is open to new members. Here she explains a little about the group and what it is like to live in the village of Crans près Céligny itself. "The English Reading Group in Crans-près-Céligny was formed around seven years ago.  I am a member and over the seven years it has certainly widened my reading and introduced me to new  authors and their work. We meet every five to six weeks between 14:30 and 17:00 in the comfortable, modern library of Crans-près-Céligny.  Note - See previous Living in Nyon post here about the library and its art exhibitions. In our reading group to date, we have read 54 books, mainly fiction. We all take it in turns to propose a book and we then give a short presentation and have a relaxed discussion over a cup of tea or coffee. We are currently  nine members, who almost all come to every meetings. The group is made up of all ages, from the young to the more mature!  We would like to maintain the size of the group at about twelve members so we are looking for a a few more members. If you are English mother tongue, male or female and enjoy reading and sharing the enjoyment of reading, please contact me, Mally Packham, on mally.packham@bluewin.ch or call on 078 768 05 50 for more information. Photo below - The lake near  the port of Crans près Céligny. Living in the village As to living in Crans-près-Céligny itself,  The village itself has changed from the quiet little Vaudois village we moved to 26 years ago. Like the whole of the Lac Léman area, the village has grown, new houses and new flats have been built.  The roads and pavements are being enlarged and resurfaced for the ever-mobile community. The village has lots of clubs and groups - football teams for adults and children, a gym, tennis courts (indoor courts in winter), a crèche  a modern primary school, a church, a port, a sailing club, a friendly pharmacy and a village shop. The  village also has two superb restaurants,  ‘Le Café de l’Union’ and ‘Le Café de la Versoix’.  The food is excellent in both and the service quick and friendly. They are both very popular so best to book in advance. There is a regular bus service to both Nyon and Coppet. All in all, the village has blossomed and is a vibrant place to live, yet it still maintains the calm and quiet of the countryside".

Did you know that that Nyon library has a selection of English books to borrow? No? Neither did I until I joined this week and discovered their selection of novels on the second floor. Admittedly it's a smallish collection and stocks only fiction, there are no reference books or guides books, but at a joining fee of CHF 15 per annum for Nyon residents, even if you only took out a few books a year, it still is a good bargain. If you pay CHF 20 more you can also borrow from their collection of music CDS. Here, there is quite a good choice, from rap to reggae to jazz and classical. The library is open on a Saturday morning too, so you can pick up a book along with shopping at the open air market. There is a reading room too with newspapers and magazines (in French) to read on site, and a photocopier that can be used. Check out their website which gives details of both their adult and childrens libraries (the latter is in a different building). Don't forget you can also borrow books (this is based on a trust system) from the café tearoom Bibliothee which is open Monday to Friday. If you want to buy books then there are two places in Nyon for this. First of all, for children, there is the shop called "The Reading Duck" in Grand Rue. This shop stocks childrens literature up to adolescent age. There's a cosy reading area too with bean bags and little tables for children while their parents browse amongst the selections. Or over in La Combe shopping centre, Payot bookshop has a selection of English books including some non-fiction, guide books, reference books and some travel books in English. If you want the greatest selection of English books to borrow, the most comprehensive source can be found in the Geneva English Library , they run a story hour in English for young children on most Wednesday afternoons (check the website for dates)