The good news for Paléo 2015 is that the grounds are dry, very dry indeed. This in complete contrast to 2014 when the grass was sodden after lots of rain before the festival had even started. This year, the press were able to walk around and see what's new at the festival. However, although it's dry, it is also very hot up at the festival fields, so dress accordingly, take a hat and lots of water. Note: there will be areas at Paléo where there will be access to free drinking water. Due to the dry weather personal bbqs and fires are foribidden in the camping area, however Paléo will be organising three community fires at the camping site so you can take along your own food to be cooked. The press being shown around the grounds this year - all photos above and below,  C.Nelson-Pollard What's new? Village du Monde area The theme of the Village du Monde area this year is the Far East and there will be all genres of music played from different countries, from traditional music to electro rock and hip hop and more. There will be "animations" too, a "Dragons and Lions" dance in the village area (Weds to Sunday), Shadow Theatre on Monday and Wednesday, a Karaoké bar and many other events. There will be culinary delights too: Okonomiyaki, tofu Ramen and Ongiti from Japan, Cambodian Laab Kai, Tibetan Momos, cold Vietnamese beers and cocktails made from Japanese plum wine. For full details of the Village du Monde's music, events and more details click here Hes - So  Over in the Hes - So area (the University of Applied Arts and Sciences and Arts in Western Switzerland), the theme this year is "Air" and it has set up its own "Air Factory", a creative lab designed to explore the intangible world of air. Check out the Vortex area. Here you can fill a drum with air and then try to knock off a plastic cup off the head of a friend with the air created in the drum. See below Or how about entering into the lab where a wind blows through a small wind tunnel at 250 kilometres per hour? Special glasses are provided to enter this area. Below - Daniel Rossellat playing "blow football" - another lab in the Hes-So area. Also on the festival grounds in the Monic La Mouche part of Paléo (this is the area that is lit up at night with pretty lights and fires) there are a series of photographs of previous festivals taken by photographer Anne Colliard. Living in Nyon interviewed Anne a few years ago to find out what it is like to be a festival photographer. Click here to read article This year, as in previous years Living in Nyon will be at Paléo, reviewing a selection of the concerts, and giving updates from the L'Asse grounds on the "street" entertainers, the food and the atmsophere. Note: as there are big crowds expected for the Robbie Williams concert on Monday night, the advice from Paléo is to stagger your departure. Don't try to leave immediately after the concert, as queues for the car parks, buses and trains can be long at this time of night. So stay for another drink, another dance and avoid the crush! Photos below - Paléo before the crowds Preparing the stage on the Grande Scène Recyling bins waiting to be distributed around the grounds Paléo volunteers taking a break in the shade Les Arches stage before the crowds arrive.

Each year, different towns up and down the Swiss side of lac léman take it in turns to hold a big naval parade involving all the beautiful CGN Belle-Epoque/ Paddle Steamer boats. This year on Sunday 19th May it's the turn of Nyo n to host the parade! The day will begin at 10:00 when passengers can embark on boats from Lausanne, St Sulpice,  Morges, St- Prex, Geneva, Versoix, Coppet and Céligny. Some of the boats will be serving meals on board, (reservations are highly recommended for these particular cruises).  Embarking from Nyon is at 12:45, 12:55, 13:00 and 13:10 . The "fanfare" (brass band) of Nyon will play down at the embarkment area. Note: this parade is a popular event so get there early to ensure a place!  Between 13:30 and 15:00 the naval parade begins in a grand choreography of boats on the water ending with with the releasing of 2,000 (bi degradable) balloons into the air.  The parade will be visible from the quayside from approx 14:15. There will be lots of activities going on by the lake side, stalls, entertainment for the family and children. See photos from a previous' years parade. Free Museum entry all day! Also on Sunday 19th as part of this special day, entry to  the Musée du Léman the Musée romain, the Château of Nyon and the Musée national suisse and the Château de Prangins) is all free! Note: the Muséée du Léman has recently been renovated and reopened in March. If you want to find out more about lac léman,  see inside a submarine (which at one stage actually gave tourist trips to the bottom of the lake!) or you want to find out about the amazing adventures of  Jacques and Auguste Piccard, then this museum is a must!  You can also find out about the lake's, flora and fauna and marine life.  Also on Sunday, cultural walks are being offered along the side of the lake.  For full details see here for details of the parade. Here for details of the Musée du Léman. English Language Church service  at 16:00 in Nyon.   La Côte Church an English speaking Anglican church normally hold their weekly Sunday services in the village of Gingins near Nyon, however this Sunday, they will be holding a special Pentecost service in the temple of Nyon in the old town. A warm welcome  will be given to newcomers  of all ages. Refreshments will be served after the service. For full details see here

. Living in Nyon was very sorry to read in this week's La Côte newspaper that "Disque Service" the music and instrument shop in Nyon is to close.  The shop which has been a mainstay in the town for thirty years (and the editor's shop source for buying Paléo tickets!) will close its doors next week.  The reason for closure is due to various factors, one of them being that more and customers are buying their music through online sources. A sad sign of the times. However, on a more positive note several new clothes and apparel shops have just opened up in the same street (Rue Juste Olivier). There is also a notice in Place du Marché that there will be an Indian restaurant bar and lounge opening up on the site of the old Café de la Banque.

Paléo Music Festival The programme for the Paléo music festival was announced yesterday, with many big names playing throughout the 6 day music fest from Franz Ferdinand to the The Prodigy to Tracy Chapman . This festival which takes place in 84 hectares of ground above Nyon from the 21st-26th July is an important one in the Swiss music calendar when hundreds of thousands of music fans come here to listen to a week of rock, pop, folk, rap, reggae, hip hop and world music. Such is its popularity that tickets sell out fast, so mark next Wednesday the 22nd down in your calendar. Tickets go on sale from midday onwards and those in the know stand in line that day, sometimes up to an hour before, at outlets around the country. You can also buy tickets on line too. The Paléo website has all the details and the full line up, and the site has an English translation. Book Sale Next week on Friday 24th (10.00- 19:00) and Saturday 25th April (10:00-17:00) the Geneva English Library holds its twice yearly annual book sale, it's a great opportunity to pick up second hand books, CDs, DVDs and audio books and collectors items. There's always delicious homebaked goods in the tea room too. Documentary Film Festival The signs have now gone up around the town for the Visions du Réel festival, the documentary festival that takes place in Nyon from the 23rd of April to the 29th. There will be a lot more information on this next week with movie reviews and updates.

Photo above, the  "Rue des Belles Filles"- The Street of Beautiful girls" (who wouldn't want to live here?) from the article "Being Streetwise in Switzerland" from "Living along Lac Léman". Diccon Bewes, the author of " Swiss Watching" ( Best Book of 2010 -Financial Times) and travel writer ( Lonely Planet and Holiday Which ) has just reviewed "Living along Lac Léman" , the Living in Nyon book. He says; "The book contains a varied selection of Catherine’s columns from La Côté newspaper over the past three years, so it makes for perfect dip-in-and-out reading. Short pieces about life along the lakeshore, fitting in as an expat, Swiss foibles and learning French. And that’s what I loved most about it. There’s such a mix of subjects, you don’t have to know the area that well to enjoy it. For sure, some of the articles have a distinctly local flavour – not just the Paléo festival in Nyon but street names in Geneva or tourist howlers in Morges – but most are about something anyone in Switzerland can relate to: eating fondue, getting to know your neighbours, talking about the weather and kissing friends hello. All crucial subjects for every expat who has been here more than a few weeks."  Photo above from article in book: "Don't worry be happy" - "Pas de Souci" He also goes on to say; "Adding more than a touch of depth are Catherine’s photos alongside each text. They cover, of course,  the gorgeous views and festival revellers but also more mundane things like fresh bread, football crowds and spring flowers. Not every book has the luxury of great colour photos, as I know all too well, but this one makes the most of that by using them to add some real local colour to the already engaging text. Of such things, I can but dream". You can read the full review here and find out more about Diccon and his book here .  If you would like to purchase  a copy of  "Living along Lac Léman"  just click here to order and to see the list of  local retail outlets.  Here's another review by Know it all Passport   Other news, the BSCC Business Awards ceremony took place last night at the Beau Rivage in Geneva. Living in Nyon was one of the finalists in these awards and although the site didn't take home the top prize at the end of the evening, the editor was delighted to be nominated in the first place and recognised for "their contributions to business success in Britain and Switzerland". In the words of Michael Mckay BSCC Chairman-Geneva Chapter, "all the finalists were winners to get to the stage of being selected". You can see the full list of winners here.

The shops are now becoming very busy with last minute shoppers and the queues are long, however yesterday a theatre group entertained children in La Combe shopping centre yesterday which gave parents a bit of a breather. Church over Christmas If you want to go to an English speaking church service over Christmas in the area then check out the websites of  La Côte church in Gingins and Westlake church in Nyon and Lausanne. There is also an English speaking traditional carol service at the cathedral in Geneva's old town at 17:00 on Christmas Eve, but it's imperative you get there early for a seat as this is a vary popular service with many expats! Shops closed on the 2nd Jan Don't forget that the 2nd of January is a holiday here and the shops will be closed. Many restaurants offer special menus for New Year's Eve and these are published in La Côte newspaper. Cinema The cinema in Nyon does not appear to have any films on in English up until the 29th December but there are a few in Geneva, Lausanne and the shopping complex Balexert (look for the letters v.o) by the name of the film. Listings of films are in most newspapers. Launch of sauna in Nyon by the lake On the 3rd January from 11:00 a.m there will be the official opening of the sauna (down by La Plage) this is organised by the association of " les bains de trois jetees". There was an event at the same place last year and it was great fun! Check out their site for opening times of the buvette etc Date for your diary Finally, a reminder that on the 28th January at 19:30 there will be a talk in English in Nyon by journalist Jordan Davis from World Radio Switzerland called "Swiss Politics for Dummies" in collaboration with this site Living in Nyon. There will also be an opportunity to hear from and chat to your local councillors in English too.  Reservation for this event are now being taken (send an email to cnp at bluewin.ch and mark the subject line "reservation for politics talk")  Seating is limited and it is anticipated that this will be a popular event. Wherever you are in the Nyon area or even further afield, (the site has readers from other countries too!)  A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and JOYEUX NOEL!

Due to a poor weather forecast, please note there will be no Living in Nyon  stall at the Nyon Saturday market on the 3rd December. If you would like to purchase a copy of Living  along Lac Léman  see here for all retail outlets .

As soon as the final whistle blew in Durban after the Switzerland/ Spain game in the football World Cup on Wednesday, the streets of Nyon erupted into sheer joy with supporters driving and up and down the road outside the station. This is a fun, albeit noisy place to be in town during a football tournament, although if you don't want your car rocked by the over enthusiastic supporters you might want to take a detour after matches!

There are plenty of Christmas related activities going on in the area right now, here are three,  plus an idea for a Christmas present offered by Paléo! It's the Christmas market in Nyon down by the lake side this Sunday 8th December from 08:00- 18.30.   Stalls, food etc   more info here The Christmas market in Morges is a massive four day event held from the 4th to the 8th December. It is held in the old CFF hall, this is a covered market, perfect for when the weather is very cold outside!    More info here   La Côte Church is holding an evening of jazz carols on Sunday 21st December in the old Salvation Army Church. Details on poster below. Looking for an idea for a Christmas present? Each year Paléo  music festival offers a 6-day pass for the following year's festival.  This offer is valid until the 20th of December.  See the  poster of next year's Paléo look below! The Christmas offer is available: on their  website  (limited to 2000 passes) at the Paléo Shop (2 passes per person until 20 December) -  check out the opening hours of the shop Price:  CHF 325 (adults)  CHF 275 (students and reduced tariffs). No booking charge at the Paléo Shop (however, payments with credit cards are not accepted at the Paléo Shop).

FAR (Festival des Arts Vivants) is Nyon's final major festival of the year and was launched on Wednesday night down at the Usine a Gaz in Nyon. This FAR festival brings artists and performers from across Switzerland and other countries. The full programme is on the FAR website  and the festival continues until the 21st August. Performances and shows take place in venues across the town from the Conservatoire to the Salle Communale and at the festival's centrepoint the Usine a Gaz. If you have seen the tall wooden art installation on the Rive this is part of the festival too and is called "Probe". You can climb up it if you want (at your own risk!).   Sailing regatta Also coming up in the Nyon area (in Crans)on the 20-22nd August is a sailing regatta called the  Crans Open with sailing events on the Friday at 14:00 (training yachts), Saturday 11:30 (regatta) and Sunday (regatta). There will be spectator boats provided to watch this, food provided, giant screen etc.

Living in Nyon is continuing  this week with reviews of films at the Visions du Réel film festival. The festival closes on Wednesday evening so you still have time to catch some films! Here is Kathy Morf ’s fifth review from the festival and is of the film "People I could have been and maybe am”. This will be shown again today 11 April at 22:00 at the Capitole 2 Cinema. This is an international premiere. Kathy says; “This movie was a surprise to me. I was expecting something very different. It’s the first picture I’ve seen filmed with a mobile phone. It was cleverly done. I am sure each one has once wondered what it would be like being in someone else’s shoes. This is precisely what film director Boris has done. The story of Steve and Sandrine, struggling to make their life work, makes me reflect on my own life and relationship. I would highly recommend this film ". A story of two lives The movie begins in the streets of London. We can hear telephone conversations on public transport. They are intertwined with scenes of commuters and give rhythm to the film. The city is speaking to the viewers through these conversations. They are about relationships. A series of short intertitles tell us what Boris is feeling and informs us what is happening. The story is sequenced by a bit of each person’s life going back and forth from Steve to Sandrine. Photos above: courtesy Visions du Réel.  Steve  Steve used to be a cook. He was in an accident and had to have one leg amputated. From then on his life falls apart. He has been living on the streets for many years. The camera zooms in and we see that he is inhaling the vapours of a piece of scrap aluminium foil. This helps him forget the pain, not being part of a family, not having a relationship, not being loved by someone and feeling needed. The camera follows him wobbling along the streets with his crutches. He has a daughter. She has recently tried to find him. He carries her letter in his coat pocket everyday and cannot forget her. He has not yet made the effort to contact her. He is scared of her reaction. He wants to stop the drugs but instead starts drinking. Then he meets Precious, a jazz singer, and they fall in love. Life is marvellous again and they both drink together. He buys her a ring. Sandrine Sandrine comes from Igazu, Brazil. She left her son to live in London and give him a better life. She has been struggling to find a stable relationship. She is registered on dating pages and constantly receives text messages. Boris follows her from place to place and slowly falls in love with her, but there is no room for another man on her list of seven potential marriage partners. She misses her son and calls him regularly, promising to come and visit and bring the presents he asks for. Sandrine leaves Boris for another man. It turns out to be short lived when he finds all her text messages and begins calling her long list of lovers. She is alone again. Homesick and tired she plans to go back home. Film directed by Boris Gerrets – Netherlands – 54 minutes in length Spoken in English, Subtitles in French

There are four pairs of tickets (2 pairs per night) to be won to see "Western Dramedies" at the Usine a Gaz in Nyon on Thursday 19th and Friday 20th February . This show will be performed in English and the production is based on a travel trip which the actors took along Highway 66, between Los Angeles and Oklahoma City. You can read more here (in French only)   To be in with a chance to win tickets, email info@usineagaz.ch, and specify which night you would like to attend (Thursday or Friday).  Note: please do not email Living in Nyon for the tickets.