Author Archives: charliecountryboy

About charliecountryboy

Carpenter and Carpentry Lecturer. Writer, musician. Curious about life and all those wonderful people in it.

Too Young to Die (2 of 3)

Posted on February 23, 2019

The Spanish called us ‘Pesca Submarina’ – underwater fishermen. The name carried respect and we were proud of the kudos. We were treated well and so considered ourselves honoured and tried to live honourably when in their company. But after … Continue reading →

Posted in 1970'S, Blogging, Fishing, Freedom, Life, Opinion, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

I Was Too Young to Die (Part 1 of 2)

Posted on February 17, 2019

The roads had a capacity for treachery and the mountains appeared complicit. Several times we had been here, gambling on the mercy of mother nature, but this was the storm season and she always forbade us entrance to the sea. As he guided the van … Continue reading →

Posted in 1970'S, Blogging, Freedom, Life, Opinion, people, Travel | Tagged , , , , | 26 Comments

It Wasn’t Love

Posted on February 9, 2019

She began to cry, silently, suppressing a basic human emotion and words flashed through my adolescent mind. “There, there – it’ll be okay – are you alright?” Words from my childhood and all of them cowardly used by people who … Continue reading →

Posted in 1970'S, Blogging, Fishing, Freedom, History, Life, Opinion, people, Radio, Relationships, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

It Weren’t Half Hot, Mum, and Home

Posted on February 2, 2019

Did you ever see an Elephant coming out of Kandy with a bell around its neck? Well I did, don’t you know, yeah a bit of a play on Mark Bolan, I know. Our last visit during our stay in … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Humour, Life, Opinion, Sri Lanka | Tagged , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

It Weren’t Half Hot Mum (3)

Posted on January 26, 2019

The heat was intense, a tiny squall of miserly warm air brushed my temple inviting anticipation of relief, but I knew it was a trick, apart from that I was preoccupied with peeling my bare leg from the plastic upholstery … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Humour, Life, Opinion, people, Sri Lanka, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

It Weren’t Half Hot Mum (2)

Posted on January 19, 2019

Elvis turned on the radio, maybe he was searching for himself, aren’t we all in some way? Faded memory tells me I discovered myself when I was around 12 years old during an episode of Star Trek, Nichelle Nichols aka … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Humour, Life, Opinion, Sri Lanka, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

It Weren’t Half Hot, Mum

Posted on January 12, 2019

A breeze soothes my face as I drift into another sun drenched dream, I can hear the chatter, chatter of some locals above the waves that caress the shore and then she prods me in the rib. ‘Let’s go out … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Cat, Humour, Life, Opinion, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 43 Comments

Now What?

Posted on January 5, 2019

There is no grass to lie in anymore and the clouds are one mass of grey. I’m hardly likely to find an abandoned Chevy in Yorkshire or a cassette of Little Willie John, but I do know a place down … Continue reading →

Posted in Humour, Life, Lifestyle, Opinion, people, Relationships | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 51 Comments

An Empty Bar, a Dog and a New Year

Posted on December 29, 2018

Mogan, Gran Canaria, 1976. We were poor, not dirt farmer poor you understand. I’m not Clarence Carter, the rains hadn’t washed the crops away, my mom wasn’t called Lucille and she wouldn’t have been able to afford the bus fare … Continue reading →

Posted in 1970'S, Blogging, Fishing, Humour, Life, Lifestyle, Opinion, people, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

Somewhere Else For Christmas

Posted on December 22, 2018

A drop of sweat seeps into your eye and combined with the oil starts to burn, the prickly heat on your arm is driving you mad and you can’t scratch your undercarriage because the Greek woman with her three children … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Humour, Life, Opinion, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 52 Comments