Let’s Have a Picnic

This dialogue is a conversation between two girl-friends, Alice and Julia. They discuss how to spend the coming weekend. So, the conversation begins.

• Oh, Alice, I'm so glad the weekend is coming. The weather is so fine. I'm looking forward to having a good rest after the week of work.

• I think we should have a picnic. To my mind, it's wonderful to spend a couple of days in the open air. We'll invite our friends to join us and we'll have a delightful time somewhere in the country.

• A picnic in the country?! But it always takes so much time to make all the preparations. And quite the most important feature of the picnic and its greatest problem is the lunch.

• Oh, Julia, picnic lunches are always just the same and therefore require little imagination. So, we won't have to trouble about thinking up a meal. Fried chicken is always popular as well as hard-boiled eggs. Almost everything else that comes in a can or a paper bag is good for a picnic-lunch.

• These containers are very important as, after the contents have been eaten, they are strewn about and identify the picnic ground. I do think there's already enough garbage in our forests and rivers.

• But Julia, we'll be as good as gold. And now let's talk about something more pleasant. So, we'll find a nice place on a body of water at some high altitude.

• You're being brilliant! Everyone will enjoy the opportunity to have something to fall into or to fall off. A body of water is absolutely essential.

• It is. We'll take fishing tackles along and go fishing. What do you think about having some fried fish for our lunch?

• No fish was ever known to have been caught on a picnic, but fishing serves as an excellent excuse for getting out of the way while the heavy work is being done.

• OK. There'll be no fishing as you're against it.

• But what am I going to do the whole day?

• Oh, make your mind easy. Collecting wood for the fire provides occupation for those who don't know how to amuse themselves. Besides, we can play volleyball or badminton, go swimming and lying in the sun.

• But what shall we do if there's no sun but a steady drizzle or a thunder storm instead?

• Oh, you're being intolerable! As for me, I'm sure the weather will keep warm and fine, and we'll enjoy ourselves immensely.

• We definitely will. I remember our last picnic being wonderfully marked by John’s running into the hornets' nest and Laura's twisting the ankle.

• Oh, no! It'll be absolutely different this time. We'll have a very good day and when it gets dark, we'll gather round the fire.

• Yes, and we'll be suffering from mosquitoes, and to make matters worse, someone will suggest singing.

• But, Julia, is there the tiniest thing that you do like in picnics?

• There is. They usually reawaken in my heart the truth of the old saying, that there's no place like home.

• Oh! . . .