Imagine! If I went to Glyndebourne...

If I wanted to enjoy the highlights of the English season, my first stop would be Glyndebourne. I would try to get tickets to see Henry Purcell's The Fairy Queen, one of my favourite operas. Now, if we were to go, my husband would need a black tie. Would he wear it? Of course he would, and we'd have great fun dressing up for the occasion.

Before we went to the opera itself, we'd have a picnic outside on the estate grounds. I don't think we would bring a table and chairs the way many regulars do. We'd keep it simple and just take along a blanket so we could sit on the lawn, drinking Veuve Cliquot.

The phrase "If I went" sometimes confuses my students, who might ask, "Oh, when did you go to Glyndebourne?" I haven't actually been there yet. But I can dream, can't I? Glyndebourne is only one of many options. In the May edition of Spotlight, Rebecca Perl recommends a whole series of exclusive things to do in and about London that are now available to a wider audience. Come and imagine where you would go, and brush up on how to use the second conditional to talk about future possibilities in our exercise on the next page.

Anne Hodgson