Where do you prefer to holiday: countryside, beach or city?

My family and I do not argue a lot. However, one thing we do have disputes about is holidays. There are four of us-Mum, Dad, my sister Jane and me. We have very firm, and different, opinions on the perfect holiday.

To give them their due, neither of my parents is very vociferous on the subject. Both of them really prefer a city holiday because they both love going round art galleries and museums. Mum also likes to have a look round the city shops, even if she is only window-shopping.

Dad is a cinema buff and is always on the lookout for a cinema showing old classic movies. Mum also likes the fact that cities have a great many restaurants, which means she does not have to cook all the time. We often rent a flat or a small holiday house because hotels are so expensive.

My sister absolutely loves beach holidays. She is quite happy to smother herself in suntan cream, put on a sun hat and lie stretched out on the beach most of the day. Every now and then she goes for a quick swim, except when she is wearing her most fashionable bikini. She says that getting it wet will spoil it. That sounds quite mad to me.

I do not mind city holidays if the holiday is just a very short one. I quite like going somewhere which has a bigger selection of cinemas than our small town and sometimes there are live shows that I fancy going to. However, I do not like spending a long time in cities. The streets are far too busy for my liking.

As for beach holidays, I absolutely hate them. For a start, I do not really enjoy swimming. I used to have a fear of it because I had once been caught in a fast-flowing current and nearly drowned. I was very frightened. To some extent I have surmounted my fear, but I still do not swim unless I have to.

I hate lying on a beach. I get very bored. I love reading, but I hate the way sand and suntan cream get stuck to the book. I am really too old to build sandcastles now, but I might do so if my sister would join in. She would not, though. She thinks that she is far too superior and sophisticated for such a childish activity.

My favourite holiday is a rural one. We sometimes rent a country cottage about a hundred kilometers from home. When we go there my father and I take our bikes and spend ages cycling around the place, relishing the fresh air and the scenery. Sometimes we take a picnic. Dad works long hours and it is great to have a chance to spend some time with him.

I have made friends with a boy of about my age who lives down there. His name is Pete and his father is a farmer. Pete and I often help take the cows in for milking or I get to help with harvest if I am there at the right time of year. I really enjoy that, although it is quite hard work and my muscles are sore the next day.

So where do we go on holiday? Well, we are all

reasonably amenable people and we take it in turns to choose. Sometimes, we will go to one place for our main holiday and spend a weekend at one or each of the other two. That way everyone is satisfied.