The snow must go on

It got worse. By the time I left Valbonne for the last day of MIDEM in Cannes, ready to collect up that last few remaining converts to the services of Currencies Direct, the rain had turned to wet snow and the puddles on the lawn were beginning to ice over. This is the Cote d’Azur for Christ’s sake, this is not what I signed up for, this was not in the brochure. If there was a god and he did not have a call centre in India (or probably Jerusalem come to think of it) I would have made a complaint in the strongest possible terms. Imagine, if that was the case, what would the number be?  0845 godisgood, or for complaints 0845 godiswrong? But I digress.

It is not that I dislike snow, I like it when it is in its correct place and indeed will be seeking in out later in the week and next week with a jaunt up to Limone, just across the Italian border for a bit of skiing. What I am complaining about is that I am not dressed for and don’t expect this kind of thing in the jewel of the French Riviera. My velvet smoking jacket, silk cravat and black and white spats are not suited to this kind of weather (nor is the music biz for that matter). I want my money back.

Still, I am a trooper, hardly ever complaining so I was looking forward to my beach luncheon with typical bulldog spirit, half thinking that the restaurant might be deserted, but then I thought, these are music business professionals who are made of sterner material. They may be languishing in Cannes but were not going to let a bit of wind (supplied by yours truly), rain and snow deny them the opportunity to raid the expense accounts so I expected Geoland to be buzzing, that and steaming or at least that is what I imagined it would look like, clouds of water vapour rising from the assembled music industry entrepreneurs, the movers and shakers of the digital content world but natural events overtook me.

The first sign of trouble was the picture I received showing snow settling in Valbonne. In the next breath I heard a delegate complaining that all buses had been cancelled due to snow being expected, and that the trains were next. It was a very quick decision, but the options were to go to lunch on the beach and then get marooned in Cannes along with loads of drunk MIDEM delegates, drowning their sorrows, complaining that they were unable to get home, or take an early train back home and have lunch locally in the snow. This was a picture from my garden yesterday afternoon.

There's no business like snow business

Whereas I love lunch on the beach any time of year, the Auberge Provencal in Valbonne Square is an idyllic place to have lunch when a winter wonderland surrounds you. Boy did it surround us as my picture today depicts. Having just managed to get home through the snow and breathed a sigh of relief, what better plan could there be but to head out again to the Auberge Provencal for lunch? Well, I had a number of different opinions, most of which involved hunkering down in the snowstorm and not venturing outside, however in the spirit of democracy, and with that nice lady decorator having the casting vote (dare I say the only vote?) I went with the democracy, at least as she saw it.

So MIDEM is finished for another year. Business has been done, lunch has been taken, deals done in the bar will evaporate in the coming weeks as the hubris of the South of France wears off. I know you will understand that I now need a brief rest before throwing myself back into the fray. April should see me back and ready to go. Now you know that was a joke, but seldom a waking minute goes by without my having an original thought or an idea. This is work to me, thus it is my contention that I am always working.

With the snow continuing to pile up in the evening it is difficult to predict what is before me today. If there is no sudden thaw then a walk into Valbonne followed by lunch seems the only option open. I do hope there is no thaw.

Chris France