Caribana has announced the line up for this year's festival which will take place along the lakeside near Crans près Celigny from the 3rd to 7th June 2015.   Among other artists scheduled to play at this summer festival are Swedish band "The Cardigans", see video below of their 1998 hit "My Favourite Game" from their album Gran Turismo. Photo above - The Cardigans, courtesy Caribana Also on the programme are Kill it Kid, Marilyn Manson, Metronomy, Ben l'Oncle Soul, see video below of track "Hallelujah!" and Austrian band Parov Stelar with a mix of pop, soul, jazz and swing. See video below with their track "Jimmy's Gang".   Full line up here. Photo above - Parov Stelar Band, courtesy Caribana Tickets now for sale. Note: There are early bird prices on offer for Feb/ March and in April/ May. Let's hope the weather is warm and cardigans won't be needed to watch The Cardigans!   More on Caribana and the other bands coming up on this site. The Cardigans - "My Favourite Game" Parov Stelar - "Jimmy's Game" Ben l'Oncle Soul - "Hallelujah!"

Paléo kicked off with a bang and a squelch on Tuesday, with a variety of incredible bands. The right amount of mud, but thankfully without the rain that had been forecast made for the perfect Paléo atmosphere. People slipped and skidded through the mud, or picked their way carefully across the grounds, trying to stay away from the muck thanks to the large quantities of straw that had been laid down on the ground. Everyone was able to rediscover the Festival, and some minor changes to the some of the stages, especially the Arches, whose tiered seating has been pushed to one side of the stage at an angle, leaving more room for the people who wanted to come and dance to the light rock of Girls in Hawai, the provocative and explosive Anglo-Tamil hip-hop artist M.I.A, or Gesaffelstein's dark and compulsive beats. The first stop in the musical marathon that is a night at Paléo was Doomenfels under the Club Tent. Juggling between light, folky guitar riffs, and heavier pieces creates the perfect dense atmosphere under the tent (one of my favourite stages), as it is small enough to be intimate - the Swiss-German formation gave a musical performance that set the tone for most of the night: a continuous stream of very talented artists. But such is the fate of the musically curious at Paléo, and it before the concert finished, it was time to make my way through the mud and (increasingly muddy) crowd to catch the first few songs of belgian pop-rock band Girls in Hawaii a regular band at Paléo, before traipsing towards the Village du Monde and it's stage, le Dôme.  Alcohol prevention can be fun! Stopping on my way to there at the Blue Cross' alcohol prevention stall, I got to do a "drunk-simulation" obstacle course wearing blurred googles, the final test being trying to fit the key in your front door's lock. I managed rather easily - should that worry me? Anyway, their stall, situated to the right of the Ferris wheel, is full of fun facts and puns on alcohol consumption, bringing a message of prevention without being patronising about it, which is definitely much more enjoyable. Latino Madness La Chiva Gantiva was playing under the Dôme. Created by three Columbian percussionists when they moved to Brussels, the band mixes cumbia rhythms and grooves with more contemporary styles. Destroying stereotypes with every burst of saxophone and ever drum solo, their joyous energy was contagious, and people gradually flocked towards the stage to dance to their warm and crazy music. The musicians danced and bounced across the stage, emulated by the crowd, who quickly found it impossible to stay still in front of such an explosion of sound. The wind section (a sax and a clarinet player) entertained the crowd with their wacky dancing when they weren't showing off their skills, the guitar player bluffed every one with his high-voltage performance, whether on the electric guitar or on a special Columbian ten-stringed guitar. My drummer friend also made me aware of the impressive skills of the drummer, making for a top-notch musical experience. I suppose the best part of all this is that La Chiva Gantiva will be playing again tonight (ie Wednesday night) at 20:00 , for a second serving of musical madness. As Bastian Baker started playing in the distance on the main stage, we decided it was time to have a bite to eat, before heading down to fetch a bottle of mead from the Ruche (where you can also find some really good honey-flavored beer) and then back up to the Dôme, for round two of Latin American musical discoveries. This time for the psychedelic tunes of Meridian Brothers , a project of Columbian musical virtuoso Eblis Alvarez. Joined on stage by a very talented drummer (kudos my friend, again), a clarinet-cum-keyboard player, and a guy behind a computer, Alvarez displayed his musical genius in a series of complex musical explorations. Relying heavily on modified sounds- the clarinet sounded like a video-game console!- the psychedelic songs were intricate creations. Meridian Brothers will also be playing again on Wednesday, at 17:15 under the Dôme, and in a more intimate setting at 21:15 at L'Escale, a small stage at the far end of the Village du Monde. It might be starting to look obvious that I have a certain affinity with the line-up of the Dôme, and this where I was for the next band. Karamelo Santo are a ten-piece ska/cumbia/punk band from Mendoza, and got some fame from touring with Manu Chao in the 2000's. Definitely one of the highlights of the evening, their concert was a cocktail of sun, groovy rhythms and explosive brass sonorities. The area in front of the stage quickly became a dance-floor where the more enthusiastic of the crowd joyfully bounced of each other in a chaos of jumping, dancing and general good mood. Unlike some concerts, where the pushing and shoving can get a bit nasty, everything went on really well, people picking each other up whenever someone slipped, giving them a pat on the shoulder and a grin before getting back to the dancing. The fresh evening air was most welcome after the concert, and we left the Dôme exhausted but happy. Cult Rock and Electro vibes Watching cult rock band The Black Keys from the back of the crowd was the perfect way of getting some energy back, the band pleasing the huge crowd massed in front of the main stage with their own strain of rock (even though my friend told me that the drummer wasn't very good). Half way through the great concert, it was time to go and move our bodies to the trance-inducing rhythms of A Tribe Called Red , a trio of Native American beat makers from Canada, who mix electro with traditional drums and chanting. Accompanied on stage by a traditional dancer, who mesmerized the crowd with his hoola hoop skills, the trio have taken it on themselves to break the stereotypes associated to their culture, and do a hell of a job doing so. Last but not least, Gesaffelstein finally got to send l'Asse dancing to end this first evening, after his set was cancelled last year due to the huge storm that blasted through Neil Young's concert . A year later, he was back to do what he couldn't do last year, and the crowd went crazy in front of Les Arches, finishing an great first night for the festival. For all of you who don't have the chance to have a ticket to Paléo, the Festival has organised live streaming for some of the concerts taking place through the week. You can find the schedule here. Some full concerts are also archived on the site, here , alongside highlights of each night.

There couldn't be a greater contrast between the noise and frenzied excitement of a football match, to the calm and peaceful atmosphere within the walls of the UEFA building here in Nyon. In a long sleek building, an interior that is all light and glass, with smooth wooden and marble floors all in clean lines and all overlooking Montblanc and the lakeside, it seems hard to imagine how any work is ever done within the hallowed walls. Surely it would be tempting to spend all day staring at the view or simply listening to the lake's waters lapping around the shores of the building. Yet despite the tantalising view, behind the quiet facade lies a huge working busy organisation: UEFA -The Union of European Football Associations. With 236,000 clubs, 329,000 referees and 1,600 games all to be looked after, there's a lot to be managed and supervised and decisions to be made on all things football related. Home to approximately 243 employees, half of them Swiss, (the other half 24+ different nationalities), they all come to work in what must be one of the most stunning settings to earn a daily living. Yesterday a guided tour of the building was given by Mr Jean-Paul Turrian (UEFA presidential advisor) to a group of interested individuals who had come via the Université Populaire (more on this association below). After a brief introduction to the reception area, the group was led to the auditorium where Mr Turrian welcomed the group on behalf of Michel Platini (the current president of UEFA). Then came a presentation beginning with the history of how the association came to be in Nyon in the first place, (after starting in Paris then onto Berne then a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between Zurich and Geneva) a decision was made to create a permanent European headquarters. Nyon close to transport links, and other Swiss and European cities, was chosen as an ideal place to house the headquarters. A beautiful building for the beautiful game A competition was then launched to design the building, and here we saw the buildings that didn't make it, one of them two towering skyscrapers, the other a hideous, heavy shape, a far cry from the design that won. The present building (10 years old this week) is laid out on three levels, a structure that doesn't dominate the skyline but makes the most of the surrounding gorgeous scenery. The structure is designed so that are there are no pillars blocking out the light on each level, the aim of the design is to symbolise transparence. "We have nothing to hide here". After a brief explanation of the organigram of UEFA along came various statistics along with details on how UEFA is funded, television rights, the income that these bring along with ticket sales, hospitality packages and other sources of revenue. Apart from the top matches and well known cups such as the Champions League, and the UEFA Europa League there are others that don't always get as much publicity ( see site for full listing ). UEFA also encourages football at grassroots level and helps in developing countries in Eastern Europe and Africa this was followed by a short film on its support of football in the special Olympics. Within the building employees work across many departments, from those that deal with the harmonisation of match calendars, to those that work with the school of referees to the department dealing with anti-doping issues in football. There there's the section for female football matches (female football is becoming increasingly popular each year). The media department has over 30 employees alone working on alternative media and the UEFA internet site is even translated into Japanese as that country has many followers of European football. After the stats, fact and figures, the group were then shown a short film on the funny side of football: the goals missed by a mile, the fox running on to a pitch during a match, players attempting to play in mud and torrential rain, crying fans, tearful players, exasperated managers, players who didn't follow the fair play rule, players kissing other players in jubilation, balls accidentally hitting members of the crowd and one where the ref kicked the ball backwards. The film, shown in the large auditorium in the base of the building is an area is also used for those all important live match draws and can be linked up to satellite coverage within minutes. The auditorium After a short question and answer session, the tour then continued around the building via the staff restaurant (with a menu more akin to Michelin than motorway station). The court room where decisions are made if there is a dispute or incident in a match or if a team "was robbed". The group were then led on to the roof where they were then shown the progress of the work on the second UEFA building (called La Clairière) which is being constructed on the other side of the road, access will be through an interconnecting underground walk way. This building is due to be completed by 26th March 2010 and the keys officially handed over at 11:00 on that day. The construction firm will pay a penalty clause and be fined if there is any delay to the date. The new building continues with the same theme of light and transparence and has a design that takes environmental concerns into consideration. The windows will keep the building cool in summer, yet retain heat in winter. This circular building has also been planned to make the most of the view and the nature surrounding it. Other plans - This old house below (also an Uefa property) will be turned into an International Football museum. UEFA reception The tour ended where it began, in reception amongst all the European football trophies that are displayed within glass cases, including the coveted Euro Cup. Trophies that all footballers want to hold aloft one day and all fans want to see their team or country win. Some of us I fear will be waiting a long time (your Living in Nyon correspondent is English).... Further info. Université Populaire organises various tours and courses throughout the year such as an introduction to the history of music to storytelling. Courses are in French. From the UEFA website *UEFA is a representative democracy, comprised of 53 national football associations, and is itself recognised by FIFA as one of six continental federations. The organisation of the administration of football is based on a pyramid system of regulations, with FIFA the world governing body, UEFA the European governing body and national football associations the governing bodies at domestic level. Want to know more? The UEFA website has a frequently asked questions section.

A reminder to readers that the annual UNI Global Union debate is tonight the 3rd October from 1 8:00 until 21:00  at UNI Global Union  8-10 Avenue Reverdil  in Nyon. These debates are open to the public and usually attract a big crowd. This year's debate is on "Liberty and Security". Find out more about it in this video here (in English) Present at the debate will be Stéphane Benoît-Godet – Chief Editor of Bilan magazine, the key note speaker will be Pierre Maudet – Conseiller d’Etat de la République et du Canton de Genève, Martin Killias – from the institute of  criminology in  Zürich, Jean Zermatten – Institut International des Droits de l’Enfant, Olivier Guéniat – Commandant of la Police Jurassienne,  Elisabeth Ruey-Ray, Municipal in charge of security. The debate will be moderated by Olivier Dominik, journalist from RTS. You can read more about this organisation in a previous Living in Nyon interview with its head-  Philip Jennings. More info here on the debate

Local News New Post Office for Nyon  On the 12th September 2104 the post office in the centre of Nyon (at Place Bel -Air 5 ) will close its doors for the final time. The new office will open on Monday 15th September in Rue de la Morâche 9 in Nyon. Opening hours will remain the same. Monday-Friday 09:00-18:00 and Saturday 09:00-12:00. Proposal of increase in local taxes  The municipality of Nyon is proposing a 5 point rise in local taxes beginning 2015 to help finance Le Reposoir, a new primary school which will be situated to the north of the town. The school will accommodate 450 pupils, will have a large gymnasium and a new indoor swimming pool which will be open to the public. Estimated at around 70 million CHF, the school should be finished by 2017.   Nyon's current local tax rate of 61% is lower than other surrounding towns (Lausanne 79%, Renens 78.5% Morges 68.5% )  For more details of this potential tax hike, see article on the Nyontown site  here  Upcoming events The summer season of activities in Nyon is now coming to an end, (the outdoor pool will close on the 7th September), however there are lots of Autumn events on the local calendar to look forward to, from Autumn fairs, to sports, theatre, cultural and music events. Here are a selection, including the 1st La Côte Women's Fair in Nyon. There will be experts on hand at this fair to answer questions on education in Switzerland to expat parenting and more. More d etails below Saturday 30 August  Vintage Rock Night in Gland  featuring Australian band The Stiletto Groove . Time 19.30 at the Dinemec Recording Studios, Rue de la Paix 3, 1196 Gland. Tickets are CHF 20 and all proceeds will benefit  the charity Kids with a Cause Europe  . The band have toured with Santana, Bob Marley, Men at Work and many more top flight international performers. This venue has been the chosenrecording facility for Lenny Kravitz, Phil Collins, Jermaine Jackson and other artistsrecording facility for Lenny Kravitz, Phil Collins, Jermaine Jackson and other artists. 5th and 6th September -  Livre sur les Quais in Morges - English authors present. See previous post here for details. News!  Author Douglas Kennedy will be at the château of Nyon on Saturday 6th at 11:00 as part of the book festival weekend . Details  here  Also on Saturday the 6th September, it's the 1st La Côte Womens' Expat Fai r in Nyon at the Beau Rivage Hotel from 09:00 - 19:00. Speakers - International Education 15:00 – Denise Nickerson Along with exhibitors selling original or handmade products, there will also be opportunities to chat to experts including Denise Nickerson, an educational consultant who co-created the Education Guide Switzerland  Denise Nickerson will be sharing valuable advice for anyone wanting to know more about the education options in Switzerland. She'll give an overview of the French, Swiss, and international school systems and answer attendees' education questions.  E-mail your education questions in advance  to  lacotewomensfair@gmail.com Global Nomads 14:00 - Susanne Mühlhaus Susanne will be discussing what she calls ‘Modern Nomads’ and how those who come to Switzerland (or move to other countries) can integrate and build an independent existence with limited financial resources. Expat Parenting 16:00 – Rosalind Cutler Family Matters Coaching owner Rosalind Cutler is an experienced life coach who specialises in working with expat families. She will talk about transitions: new job, new country, new school, new identity and how expats can help themselves and  other members of the family prepare for, and cope with the many changes and challenges that expat life brings. Learning French 17:00 - Véronique Guillaume-Genti A language teacher from Etudes Modernes in Morges, Véronique will be sharing tips and advice on how to tackle the French language. If you have been here a while or are new to the region, don't miss this opportunity to gain confidence as you improve your French. On Sunday 14th September  it's "Heritage Day" - Journées du Patrimoine across the canton This year the theme is "A table" and there will be a special day at the Musée du Léman in Nyon on the evolution of fishing on Lake Geneva. The fishermens' huts in Nyon will be one of the focus points of this special day. See here for details Also on the 14th September, it's the new Semi-Marathon of La Côte .  This race will run from Aubonne to Nyon. See previous L iving in Nyon article about this race and our interview with Olympic athlete Lea Sprunger, the founder of this new lakeside race. On Saturday 27th September it's the La Côte Autumn Fair in Founex - Line Dancing, Jazz, BBQ, Stalls and more!   4th October - UEFA Open Day On Saturday the 4th October, UEFA will be holding an open day from 09:00-16:00 for the general public. This open day is a chance to see inside the building, to take part in competitions,  and see the exhibitions about the beautiful game.   Details  here

Here is the second in the series of  interviews given by local artist Stephanie Fonteyn ( see first interview here ). In this article Stephanie speaks to Uli Van Neyghem , a German painter living in Céligny. Note: Uli will be holding an "apéro"  in her art studio on Friday the 4th of November from 17:00 to 20:00  Address: Route de Trelex 8, in Duillier. This event is a shared event with Uli, Stephanie and artist Simone Monney.  Stephanie helps to run  these collaborative art workshops between artists.  The apéro is an opportunity to have a drink, soak up an arty atmosphère in an artists studio et in a bohemian style loft! Over to Stephanie. Capturing atmospheric scenes - Uli Van Neyghem Uli van Neyghem is a charming German painter who lives in a converted farmhouse in Céligny beautifully decorated with her paintings. Her art studio is a luminous bohemian loft based in Duillier. Her father and aunt are both painters and she grew up surrounded by her father’s paintings. Uli is a self-taught artist, with a passion for interior decoration and creating ambiances. Her paintings capture calming and atmospheric scenes that would look beautiful in both traditional and modern homes. Living in Nyon: “When did you first discover your artistic talents?” Uli: “ I was always creative and painting. When I was fifteen, I produced my first real painting on canvas to decorate my bedroom. It was inspired by Gauguin ”. LIN: “When did you decide to become an artist?” UvN: “It happened gradually. After university, I was working for an international company for 15 years. When my children were born I had my own translation business for six years based in Germany and Switzerland. I had always painted for my own walls. When I was living in Luxembourg, a neighbour asked if I could paint something for their home. After that, it was a snow ball effect; neighbours, friends and expats in the area were buying and commissioning still life’s and scenes from Luxembourg as a special souvenir of their time in the country.”  LIN: “Describe a real life situation that inspired you?” UvN: “I am very much inspired by the beauty in the little things. The beauty that can be found in everyday life, like the light catching on the lemons on the kitchen counter when I get home from shopping, or the light reflecting on the water when the boats are moored for winter. It’s like the promise of the summer to come. I love to learn and research Swiss customs and reflect them in my art. It is a way for me to paint my new home country (Switzerland) and make me feel at home, since I did not grow up here. My paintings inspired by Switzerland help me to get to know and feel close to the place. We are very happy to be based here permanently. I am also inspired when I travel on vacation and have painted typical French scenes such as the “Boulanger”, “Kiss in Paris” and “Jeu de boules”.   LIN: “I hear you paint a lot of commissions, can you tell me about this process?” UvN: “I work with customers who like my style and like the idea to have a personalized painting that matches their tastes in colour, size and topic. Using my passion for interior decoration, I can help guide my clients through the creative process of creating a personalised painting for their home.” LIN: “Can you give me some examples of commissioned paintings you have created?” UvN: “Yes. There was a couple that asked for a painting of Venice because he proposed to her there. The painting is a visual memento of this special event. Other customers are enthusiastic about the lake and sailing and ask me to reflect their passion in their in paintings. Sometimes people leaving Geneva ask for a special memento of their time living here and have commissioned paintings of the “Jet d'’eau”. LIN: “Can you explain your technique?” UvN: “If I am creating an atmosphere painting or interior decoration, I always look for harmony and peacefulness. To achieve this, I use a carefully chosen palette of colours for each project. I started using acrylics because it was practical when I had small children in the house. Now I appreciate them because I love their versatility, easiness to blend subtle nuances, matte effect and they dry quickly. Since 2010, I have been using collage in combination with acrylic (a mixed media approach). I start out with acrylic, and then I partially collage the painting. I love this technique, as it obliges the observer to take a step close, so that their eye passes slowly over the canvas to see all the details. It also gives me the opportunity to hide small messages and creates interesting structures. I use any material I find from special paper, tissue paper, music sheets, poetry book pages, magazines, sewing thread, hand made paper, bitumen, pastes and structure gels. After the collage is finished, I blend in more acrylic to unify all the elements. (Photo 3 Air et lumiere in collage) LIN: “What would be your dream project?” UvN: “Obtain and offer to create art work for a hotel and restaurant near the lake or mountains. Create a poster for one of the Reine des Alpes fights or Bol d’Or event . Create a wine label for a great bottle of regional wine; Dole, Gamay or Pinot Noir. Permanent exhibition in a castle. Walk a client through the interior decoration process including some of my paintings for the family home.” LIN: “You have exhibited at fairs such as UniCrea and Comptoir Suisse , what is that like?” UvN: “What I like is the compassion between the artists. The beauty of these events is getting to know the people, sharing the passion about creating no matter which field (painting, jewellery, and sculpture). It also encourages encounters with people who would not necessarily enter an art gallery and we have interesting discussions about art and what speaks to them, and how my artwork has touched them. I often perform live demonstrations, which enables the visitors to watch the creative process instead of just seeing the end result being exhibited. This is a great opportunity for the public ask questions which are triggered public to ask questions that are triggered by viewing the demonstration. This exchange opens up relationships with people in a way that they visit our art studio in Duillier for private aperitifs which usually leads to them commissioning or buying a piece of art.”

Footballing stars present at Nyon championship this week.    The UEFA European Women’s Under-17 Championship  semi-finals will take place on  Tuesday 25 June, with Belgium v Poland kicking off at 12.00,  and  Spain v Sweden starting at 14.30 at the Colovray stadium in Nyon. Free entry The third-place play-off kicks off at 12.00 on Friday 28 June, followed by the final itself at 14.30. Friday’s matches will be shown on Eurosport. It's a great opportunity to see Europe’s top young women players in action and to meet football legends such as Patrick Müller, Stéphane Chapuisat and Grégory Coupet.  The achievements of these under 17 women teams who reach the semi-final stage highlights the growing strength of women's football. All the referees at the matches are women. Photo in header - Fans at the 2012 final. Photo above - Stéphane Chapuisat  tournament ambassador the  UEFA European Women's Under-17 Championship.  Chapuisat was capped 103 times by Switzerland and was a UEFA Champions League winner with Borussia Dortmund.  All photos courtesy UEFA The start of a summer of women's football - Women's Euro final in Sweden in July  The Under-17 tournament signals the start of a summer of women’s football which culminates with  the Women’s EURO 2013 in Sweden in July. Colovray Stadium gives the players the opportunity to compete against other European teams. It is also the last time that the tournament will take place at Colovray, as from next year, it will be hosted by different national associations in turn. To mark the occasion, UEFA is preparing something special! For more details see the  UEFA website Schools taking part On each of the two match days, UEFA is giving local schools the opportunity to take part in fringe activities such as skills sessions with the stars and visits to UEFA. The public can take part free of charge in quizzes, attend autograph sessions with the tournament ambassadors and enjoy free refreshments. On Tuesday 25 June, a DJ from Rouge FM, an official sponsor of the event, as well as some budding DJs, will mix live from the stadium. Then on Friday 28 June, it will be the turn of youngsters from the Nyon creative arts association (ADAC) to take centre stage. Photo above - Spain celebrate after a match: Photo courtesy UEFA Tournament ambassador Patrick Müller says “Youth football forms the basis of the development of girls’ and women’s football. We hope that this tournament will attract a lot of people and that it will encourage girls and women to get involved in the game”. Photo above - Belgium coach Joëlle Piron: Photo courtesy UEFA Sweden Coach - Yvonne Ekroth:Photo courtesy UEFA Patrick Müller, former defender of class and finesse who made 81 appearances for Switzerland currently works for UEFA in its commercial operations unit. He has the pleasure of coaching  the UEFA’s women’s team. A great supporter and ambassador of the UEFA European Women’s Under17 Championship, he will be present on both match days to help run the different activities and promote women’s football. The public will have the opportunity to meet Grégory Coupet at Colovray on Tuesday 25 June. Grégory Coupet, former France goalkeeper, is also the seven-time winner of the French Ligue 1 championship with Olympique Lyonnais . He also played for Club Atlético de Madrid and finished his playing career with Paris Saint-Germain FC.

Tomorrow last day for Christmas Tree collection.   Commission for the Protection of Trees in Nyon  Wednesday the 13th January is the final day when Christmas trees will be collected by the council from designated spots around Nyon. Photo above from the official Christmas tree burning in Gland 2010 Nyon council has produced an explanatory brochure of what kind of rubbish/ trash will be collected from outside private homes on certain dates throughout 2016. It has also produced an A-Z listing of household items that can be recycled at the various "eco points" in the Nyon area. If you missed these brochures, (perhaps they got lost amongst the Christmas mail!) then all is not lost, they are also published online. Eco-points brochure here A-Z listing here Garden Trees Did you know that there are a set of regulations in Nyon concerning the cutting down of certain trees, so if you are thinking about demolishing a tree in your garden or on your land and the tree measures 30 cms (or more) in diameter, and at a height of 1m 30 then be sure to seek the permission of the Municipality. The Municipality, in consultation with the Commission for the Protection of Trees, has the authority to agree or not to the cutting down of a tree in accordance with a specific set of rules, (for example, for health or safety reasons). The rules concerning the planting and protection of trees can be found on the town’s website. The Commissions of Nyon  The Municipality has the power to appoint consultative commissions to help it in its work. Currently there are eight of these, including those for culture, trees, naturalisation. They provide input/advice to the Municipality and are chaired by a member of the Municipality. Each party group nominates its member(s) to the commissions. Thanks to Trevor Greenwood for the above information on the Commission for the Protection of Trees. Photo above - Trevor Greenwood. Member of the Commission for the Protection of Trees Trevor has lived in the Nyon area for over 40 years, initially for over 25 years in Eysins, followed by Commugny and for the last six years in Nyon. Born in the UK he holds dual nationality having been naturalised Swiss with the bourgeoisie of Nyon. He has been a member of Nyon Tennis Club since 1975 and a member of the committee on several occasions. He is a member of the Parti Indépendent Nyonnais, the Commission des Arbres, the Tennis Club de Nyon , the Golf Club Domaine Impérial and the British Residents' Association of Switzerland If you have any tree felling related questions you can contact Trevor via email - trevorgreenwood (at) hotmail.com

As if we didn't know it already, Nyon is a fantastic place to live and even more proof of that comes in the form of a gold award given to it by Bilan magazine. The survey looked at 30 towns in Swiss Romandie with a population of more than 10,000 inhabitants.It concluded that for many reasons Nyon was one of the most active and economically dynamic. The town of Montreux was awarded the silver medal and Ecublens bronze. You can read the full report here in Bilan magazine and also on Nyon's own town website .

2013 is drawing to a close and Living in Nyon would like to wish readers "Meilleurs Voeux pour la Nouvelle Année"  and a Very Happy New Year!  Don't forget to "like" the Living in Nyon Facebook page, to follow us on Twitter and to subscribe to the newsletter (see box on the right hand side of this site). Also, a reminder that there is a currently a fascinating ten part radio series all about the English living in this part of Switzerland (and in modern England) presented by Cyril Dépraz on RTS Première   Click here for the link  The series began on 23 December and continues until the 5th January. On the programme from the 24 December you can hear some familiar voices: the founder of Living in Nyon was a guest on the show,  there were  members of Geneva Operatic Society performing a pantomime; Hester McDonald from the Swiss Gardening school and more.  On today's show ( the 31st December) the English speaking radio station Mountain Radio Verbier   was featured. Free Entry to Museums 1/2 January .  The three museums/ historic buildings of Nyon (the Musée du Leman, the Roman Museum and the castle) are offering free entrance on Wednesday 1 January and Thursday 2nd January from 14:00 to 17:00.  They are definitely worth a visit if you have never been.   Photo above - Birds flying over the Jet D'eau (photo taken from the beach in Prangins) in the last days of December.

Here is a handy list of dates of the five main festivals taking place in the Nyon area in 2014. The season kicks off with the winter mini rock festival Les Hivernales, followed in April by the documentary film festival Visions du Réel . Caribana , the first of the summer festivals takes place in June, (note: the band Queens of the Stone Age will be playing at this festival on Thursday 5 June). Paléo , the major rock festival in town is in July and the line up will be announced on Tuesday 1st April. The festival season finishes with FAR,  the festival of living arts. Roadworks near railway bridge in Nyon . There will be roadworks in the centre of Nyon beginning  Monday 13th January lasting for approximately five months. These roadworks will be near the roundabout under Nyon railway bridge.  These roadworks are part of a long  term project to improve traffic flow and to help users of the public transport system (particularly the bus network). Some roads will be closed off to cars and some bus stops will move to a different place. See map below of the new changes. More details can be found on the Nyon council site  . Decision on show with controversial performer to be made next week. The decision to on whether to let Dieudonné, the French stand up comedian perform in Nyon at the Théâtre de Marens will be taken by Nyon council next week. The performer is scheduled to perform here from the 3rd to the 5th February. Dieudonné’s shows have recently been cancelled in France (see article in the Independent newspaper  here ) having being labelled as ‘antisemitic’ and at the moment Nyon is one of the remaining venues still scheduled on the performer's itinerary. In the light of  possible public disorder, and the show attracting demonstrations from various protest groups, the council will announce their decision on the situation on Tuesday.

There are scores of different groups and bands playing in Nyon over the next three days, all in different styles and genres providing live and free music for the town. There is a site dedicated to this festival so whether you prefer classical music down at the Conservatoire, or rock in the street or choral music in the "temple" of Nyon then check the site out for full timings and venues. Also note there is also a classical concert on this Sunday (not part of the fete)  at 17:00 in Nyon performed by Theodor Küng on Violin and Matt Bilyard on Piano at the Salle de la Colombiere in Nyon.