Day Eight 22.03.05 It rained really hard last night and it made us want a full English breakfast, requiring another trip to the supermarket. James realised that William also had a plan to visit the optician to replace the glasses he had lost whilst staying at Ranville. He has been wearing a spare set which look a bit like two television sets on his face and so a new pair were essential. He found a pair that we both liked, this is important as it is James who will have to look at them most of the time. James was tempted by a pair of sunglasses, however, William had spent the whole glasses budget for the entire holiday. James will have to put up with his current sunglasses that, as William constantly reminds him only serve as a fashion accessory and not as a means of reducing the brightness of the sun meaning that James still has to squint in bright daylight. It was very entertaining in the optician as again our command of the French language was put to the test. William, after leaving the optician, said 'she was nice, really helpful' to which James replied 'most people are when you spend that sort of money'. The glasses would possibly be ready in three days (because it was urgent) its interesting that you can get glasses in about an hour in the UK and not because its urgent. Bear and Bob popped over this afternoon as they had lost their cat. We had seen it the other day but it seems to have gone for a wander. We went over theirs later and played table tennis in their newly restored barn. We are both a bit rubbish at this but managed to get a couple of rallies going. I'm not sure that we had the rules totally mastered and at the end we weren't sure who had won but we had a good time. William demonstrated a technique he had seen a Japanese man do on the telly but it didn't improve his game. We had a good look round their place. They have a few gites and run bed and breakfast in a number of converted farm buildings around a main courtyard. The main house has many original features including frescos on the walls, fireplaces and a stone staircase. It exudes charm and has a lovely feel about it. Any one planning a trip to France can check out more details on www.vendeeholidays.co.uk or email [email protected] Its well worth a visit. They can cater for large or small groups.