A. Holly Bay

The café here serves delicious meals and sandwiches! The water’s calm in the bay, perfect for people wanting to swim across it – around 2 km! However, it’s very deep, so is only suitable for strong swimmers. There are often sand artists here, and horses for hire to take you along the beach.

B. Franscombe

This beach is popular with families with young children and people who aren’t strong swimmers, as the water is warm and not deep. Bring your own food to the picnic area, or try the great snacks at the café. However, the nearest car park is quite a walk away.

C. Barmouth Beach

This beach often has displays of animals and birds – skillfully made from sand, which you can also learn how to do. It’s also the perfect place for lying in the sun – or why not explore the beach paths on foot for an hour or two? The view are fantastic.

D. Westley Beach

There are distance swimming, sailing and surfing sessions for people of all levels, and the beach is also famous for sculptures made of sand, which artists display every weekend! It’s easily reached from the car park through a lovely wood, which you can explore on foot when it gets cooler.

E. South Beach

The sea here offers safe swimming and sailing, even for beginners, but there’s still plenty to do when you want a change from sunbathing. A teenagers’ beach club offers sports like cycle rides, volleyball and beach chess – great for everyone getting to know each other!

F. Worldwide

This beautiful beach offers safe swimming. And when you fancy a change from sunbathing or watersports, there’s a funfair nearby, and beautiful gardens to walk though, with tables and chairs where you can eat your own food. Leave your car by the gardens, and you’ll be on the beach almost immediately.

G. Silver Sands

This beach has a sea temperature slightly higher than other coastal areas, and with its gentle waves it’s perfect for children. There’s plenty to do, too, with play leaders offering games to entertain younger ones, and surfing and sailing available at all levels, including beginners. The snack bar is excellent, too.

H. Maple Sands

Adults keen on horses love this beach, with its daily riding sessions. At certain times, the sea leaves warm-water pools on the beach, perfect for children to play in, but the water further out is deeper, for more challenging swimming. And the teenagers’ beach club offers group activities, like making sand sculptures – great for making new friends!

I’m a session musician, which means that people hire me when they need a musician, rather than me working for a particular band or on my own. It’s still important to me that I’m doing what I like and believe in, so I don’t accept all the work I’m offered. I’ve been doing this job for quite sometime and I’m happy to consider the offers and the decide.

You need certain qualities to b a good session musician. One such quality is that you have to be able to fit quickly into a team. It’s no good if you go to the studio and have an argument with the trumpet players. It helps if you get along with people you’ve just met, as very often you play with musicians you’ve never seen before.

Then of course there are particular musical skills you need. For example, you’ve got to learn parts very quickly and be able to play a lot of different musical styles. And of course, despite all your talents, you are in the background, so you have to prepared to let somebody else be admired. Another very important quality that you definitely need to have is flexibility. Some bands may have rehearsals at specific times and you need to be there when they need you. Sometimes a band or a solo artist may call you for a recording at the last minute because a musician hasn’t turned up, and it’s important that you can be there at short notice.

I’ve found there’s plenty of variety in this work. Sometimes I’m asked to play guitar for a top band at a big live concert. Or I might go on a long tour with a famous singer. But my main income has always been from studio work. I might do one short section of a long, or I could be asked to join a band for a whole album.

Most session musicians generally get paid the same amount. It’s fairly good money, but of course if an album I work on sells a million copies, the band make a huge amount of money, but nobody gives me a big cheque.

Our Homes: Now and Then

Everyone needs to have a place to call home where they can feel safe and sheltered. Whether they have bought their own 21 ________ or rent it, it matters very little.

Our modern-day houses or apartments have air-conditioning to keep us cool, and heating to keep us warm. There is electricity for lighting and the use of several 22 ________, such as TVs and computers, and supplies of gas or heating oil for keeping us warm. Hot and cold water flows from the taps and dirty water 23 ________ down the drains. Many of our homes have balconies or garden, as well.

In the past, people mad their homes from 24 ________ that they found nearby. When we look at different houses we can tell how old they are 25 ________ on that and the way they were built. In the past, people did not have running water in their homes and there were no electric lights. There was no 26 ________ heating of course, so, to keep warm, they sometimes had to light a fire inside their homes. They would use the same fire to also cook their food and heat their water.