Coco Chanel - my life as a ships cat
Chapter 5
Winter in Montauban and after
Life in this great city with its newly re-conditioned canal port was exciting for a cat like me. I enjoyed complete freedom with access to the bank, the public park and the big trees whilst, at the same time, always with an easy retreat to my floating home, attached to its great floating pontoon, separated from the bank by the girders as described.
In those days, at Montauban, I was happy to live with dear Teddy whom I would follow on his daily walks with BigDad - just some of the way - and as far as my territory allowed before I turned back. He would become rather breathless, if going too far. Sometimes he would get muddled as to which direction he should be going and would have to be rescued. Clearly he was showing his age, now 14; but on a good day, he could still just about make it to the nearest upstream lock and back; a walk of about 2 kilometres.
Without doubt it was a very beautiful spot, within an easy 5 minute bike ride for BigDad to the nearest boulangerie and to the bus services for Mum when shopping - The city's weekly market was within easy walking distance which was very important to her.
My relationship with Rosie remained poor but manageable as long as she was kept on her lead. My relationship with Alfie, the other Jack Russell, in contrast, was just a bundle of fun. Quite a different story altogether to poor Rosie who's ambition to kill me was completely thwarted, thank goodness, throughout our stay.
At that time in my life, I was unaware that BigDad and Mum were treating Montauban as the first step in an incredible journey to Brittany and that they had been secretly planning this for some time - the next step was to start in the spring 2015.....but then I find out that the canal which we are currently using - the Montauban branch, off Le Canal de Garonne and also the more famous Canal de Midi from Toulouse - lovely though they are - do not connect to the Canals of Brittany at all, and that my home, "Body and Soul", must therefore be lifted out of the water and loaded on to a low loader transporter and taken up North by road to the sea port of St. Malo.Then, oh horror, we are to take a short sea trip up the Ille et Rance estuary to go through the infamous Rance Barrage lock. Bigdad says that we must all wear our life jackets just for once. Yikes - it's going to be rough!
But before that, apparently, we are already booked-in to the dry dock at Toulouse in order to clean and repaint the bottom of Body and Soul on our way to Brittany. Ten days in Toulouse City, with lots of dogs - My feelings of excitement and anticipation are tempered by fears of the unknown. What were they going to do with me? What is a dry dock anyway? what is this Barrage? Where will I sleep?
It's definitely not going to be plain sailing - is it?
Find out all about it in chapter 6 - when we meet up with Bob and Christine - with George and Rosie, their black labradors - on their boat "Sassi" and the exciting time in the dry dock at Toulouse. Click on any of the following towns which we went through for information on each:
Toulouse, Montferrand, Castelnaudary, Carcassonne, Homps, Le Somail, Capestang, Bezier, Vias
and then the river Herault and Grau D'Agde where we are craned out at last. "Click" on any of these to find out more.