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Synopsis |
Warm-up activity |
Writing Skills |
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Picnic in the Dining-Room
Isn't it rather odd to have one's picnic in the dining-room? Read this funny story to find out how it did happen .
"We shall be having a picnic tomorrow afternoon, " said my hostess, Mrs. Brown. "It will be quite simple and we shan't
make any fuss. I think an afternoon in the open air will do us good, don't you? Would you like to come with us?"
I had already made an appointment with the hairdresser but I weakly agreed to cancel it. Mrs. Brown smiled graciously.
"I shall be making some cake this afternoon, " she explained, "so I shan't have any free time. I wonder whether you
would mind doing some shopping for me during your lunch hour, that is, if you can fit it in. "
She handed me a typewritten list made up of twenty-four separate items, from shrimps to sugared almonds, including an order for a chicken, four sliced loaves, a half litre of fresh cream and some Camembert, all to be delivered at the house before five o'clock. That still left me with plenty to carry myself, and it seemed that if only I could manage to stagger home with my load, there would be no danger of starving the next afternoon .
That evening a violent thunderstorm broke. Rain poured down; the sky was split by terrifying flashes of forked lightning while peals of thunder drowned conversation. But Mrs. Brown was not upset.
"It will have cleared up before morning, " she prophesied. "When this storm has passed we¡®ll have ideal weather,
you¡®ll see. The B.B.C. weather forecast has promised sunshine, and they don't often make mistakes. "She was right.
The following morning was glorious. Early in the morning I could hear her moving about in the kitchen. Breakfast was
late and consisted of corn flakes and toast.
"I must apologise for neglecting you, "said Mrs. Brown. "So much to do! You won't mind making your bed this morning,
will you? I'm so busy.I'm afraid we shall have to make do with cold meat and potatoes for lunch. "
The whole morning seemed to be spent in loading the car with a variety of bags, baskets and mysterious parcels. After a lunch of cold mutton, boiled potatoes, and limp damp lettuce , we took our rain jackets and umbrellas and fitted ourselves into the car. I was in the back seat , squeezed uncomfortably in the midst of a mountain of equipment.
We crawled for the next two hours along a main road where a line of traffic was wedged so tightly together that
it was almost stationary. Mr. Brown was in charge of the steering wheel but Mrs. Brown controlled the driving.
At last we turned down a narrow lane and started looking for a suitable place for tea. Each one that we saw had
its drawbacks: too sunny, too shady, too exposed, too sheltered. "If we were to picnic there, we should be too hot,
cold, conspicuous, shut in, " declared Mrs. Brown as she inspected each in turn.
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