Working from Cannes

Well I've finished my first week at work now and this is the first company in nearly 20 years where I've been expected to write code almost from day one. It seems the reason I'm here is to provide a Symbian version of their platform for a trade show in October. That will mean two things:

1/. There will be no moving of deadlines!
2/. Chances are high this contract will not last past October.

That will be a shame, but as the initial contract is only 2 months, it will perhaps mean a 2 month extension is likely. Short contracts are a problem, because I want somewhere to live, and it's not easy finding somewhere when the contracts are so small. My agent has been stretching the truth on my behalf to catch the interest of landlords, and this appears to have worked, as I should be able to move into a new apartment by the end of the month in Antibes.


Since Tuesday, I've been living out of a suitcase in Cannes, at the home of another friend of a friend, while she is on holiday. Its location is very central and everything is on the doorstep, including a church with a bell (above), but I'll be glad to get back to Antibes.

My new appartment is no more than 15 minutes from the front in Antibes, and is much better located for the blast to and from work. And I get to see the sea from the balcony - I took the next shot during the viewing. I also get a decent parking location, which is not always available with a flat because much of Antibes and Cannes are old town type places with small hilly cobbled streets. Needless to say this doesn't bother the scooter maniacs at all, but getting cars up them is another thing entirely.

I'm just waiting for the landlord to move out now....

First Day @ Open-Plug

In keeping with tradition, my first entry into my new office was accompanied (baby sat?) by my agent. This is a different person (same company though) than was the case for the Toulouse job, but the working practices are very much the same, and way better than in England.

I was introduced to the PM, who then introduced me to everyone else, and then - well, bugger me, off straight into a meeting. By the time this had fiished, my new computer, actually a laptop, had been comissioned and was waiting for me on my desk! WTF? For the last seven weeks I've been idling my life away, and now I was expected to start work almost immiediately after walking in through the door? Actually, this is better than having to read documentation for 2 weeks, and they're woefully short of that, so I think this could get interesting. I appear to be their sole Symbian programmer too, which may or may not turn out to be an advantage, but it certainly sets me apart for now.

How Much?

I've already made a fair few enquiries with local contacts supplied to me by a friend of a friend, and rentals start at around 350 euros a week out of town to 600 (even 900) for the town itself. That's a week remember! Outside these months things settle down again, but what seems to happen is that the local residents clear their houses, milk the rich holiday makers for two months, then move back afterwards. That's how popular the place is, and what makes it a bit of a witch when you just want to work there. Still, I could go a few miles up the coast or even inland, and that would make things easier.