not in any order Part 2
2002 Corfu, Its rubbish, full of germans and boorish englanders. We drove across to a nature reserve, way far from the built up nastiness. There is a lake for birdwatcher types and miracously... a moleste mile long golden sandy beach with no-one on it! Ok, there were some people, but spread apart about one every 100 metres. A great big sandy beach, no buildings around, no road around, no scooters, no music, and the sea wasnt the boring flat med, but it has a swell on it, like the carribbean. I ran up and down this empty beach like I was 7. And no I wont say where it is.
(spacemonkee77, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 16:25, Reply)

Beautiful moments
Watching my daughter being born, speechless... The 9 months wait and she was there in my arms.
(codename Gaz, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 16:23, Reply)

not in any order
1999 Climbing the pitch-black winding stairs inside the dome of the Sacre Coeur in Paris, getting more and more claustrophobic, cannot see the walls, and can only see the next step in front. Then I cannot go any further, just black in front of me with some weird bright dots scattered over it, my hand goes out in front of me and it feels like wood. I press forward with my hand, cos I cant go backwards...the door opens and I am blinded by white light. I step out and can actually hear my retinas contracting as I step out onto the roof of the dome and everywhere blinding white Autumn light is bouncing off the white surfaces of the dome and minaret-like towers.Spread below and all around is an incredibly cold Paris in that weird high definition that you only get when it is very cold and there is not a cloud in the sky. Notre Dame however is a crock of s**t
(spacemonkee77, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 16:17, Reply)

Here's a couple that spring to mind...
Went on a school trip to Switzerland when I was 13. Going up the mountain to our hotel was beautful. Could see everything. Our coach broke down which gave us time to admire the scenery. After we had arrived we were given a guided tour of the village and we were taken up a hill. It was beautiful. We could see for miles. Another day we were taking a mountain train up to a glacier. Yet again, we could see for miles.

Went to see Nightwish (my favourite band) in February. It was so amazing I almost cried.

Thinking of these makes me realise there's nothing wrong with my life.
(WaffleMonster, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 16:01, Reply)

Moments of purity
About twelve years ago I was on a residential school trip and I wasn't enjoying it. I was homesick and just generally depressed by the whole experience. In order to finish our assignment for the week we had to pull an all-nighter but several in our group weren't pulling their weight.

Frustrated by events, I walked off to be by myself in the surrounding woods for a bit and found a large tree stump to sit on, overlooking the river valley. It was 3am on a cool spring morning with moonlight filling the valley, reflecting from the river a mile away and illuminating the few clouds in a soft silver glow.

I sat there in miserable contemplation for a while, watching cloud shadows drift across the valley and the occasional set of headlights pick their way along lanes several miles away, until something very odd happened. I felt all the tension, all the frustration, all the unhappiness slowly drain out of my body, through the tree stump and deep into the ground. It left me with the feeling of being perfectly at peace with myself and in union with the earth. I have never felt more a part of nature than in the hour or so I sat there.
( wheresthefish Partly filled with wrong, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 15:53, Reply)

In The Army
Someone else’s post reminded me of this.

I was in the Army on a mountain climbing training course. We were climbing up the side of some mountain. It was pissing down and blowing a gale and we were soaking wet and miserable. Then we got to a point where two mountains met and made a kind of steep valley or wide gully. You couldn't see the tops of he mountains for the fog/clouds. We were about 10 metres below where the clouds started looking across to some stunning scenery. The we heard a roll of what sounded like thunder. A long sustained drumming sound. Then one of the most amazing sights of my life.

Out of the cloud burst a herd of deer. The fog clung to their flanks and streamed off their antlers like living banners leaving crazy swirls of fog in the air. They were almost close enough to touch. They stormed by us trailing fog and galloped off into the distance. Nobody spoke for about 10 minutes. Bloody awesome.

Wish I'd had live rounds with me.

Cheers

Legless
( Legless Mister Stabby - shanks for the memory, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 15:39, Reply)

finally getting the courage to do something amazing
after having many great moments in london and on holidays abroad, i was talking to myself outside in the rain while smoking (one of my favourite things). I had always been a very spur of the moment type of person and i was happy about that but i had never done anything totally crazy that changed my life forever. i really wanted to do something like that, i believed it was the sort of thing the person i wanted to be would do. so i went to Heathrow airport, got a last minute ticket to Calgary, Canada and flew there. I met the girl of my dreams and now she lives with me in London. Now most of my best moments have been with my Angel, usually on holidays. My next wish is to just pack up all our stuff and chase the sun with the girl i know is 'The One'.

This QOTW has made me really happy, reading all these stories and i cannot wait to get home and kiss my fiancee!
( MagicallyInept Bored Sig., Mon 14 Mar 2005, 15:32, Reply)

firenze at dawn
About ten years ago, at the end of a spell working in France, I blew my final month's wages on a trip to Italy. Didn't plan it or anything, just got on the first train I liked the sound of, which was heading for Florence.

Arrived in Florence at about 1.30am, by which time everything was shut and I was faced with a night on the streets (couldn't afford a hotel) so I checked my backpack in at the left luggage desk at the station and just wandered about a bit, trying to avoid the various temptations being put my way by the hookers and drug dealers.

I had never been to Florence before, and purely by chance my wanderings took me down to the River Arno, across the Pontevecchio and up the hill on the other side to the Piazza Michelangelo, which has a fantastic view over the old part of the city, and it was here I decided to stop wandering.

So, my first sight of Florence by daylight was as the sun came up over the city, the spires of the cathedral and the old palace rising through the early morning mist. It was a stunning sight - I was moved almost to tears by the beauty of it, a feeling that was enhanced by that strange sense of everything being not quite real that you get when you haven't slept for 24 hours and are cold and hungry.

An utterly amazing experience.
( smutch, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 15:32, Reply)

Picture the scene...
It's 2am and I crawl out of my tent and I'm met with a frosty ground and think "What the hell am I doing here". I head off to the bathroom and it all makes sense, everything suddenly fitted into place. Pants round my ankles squatting in a 3 walled toilet with the most beautiful view of Africa ahead of me, the stars looking glorious and I was in heaven. Two days later I make it to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro and I am again overwhelmed by the view. I think those three weeks will remain with me always.
( bobzarkoff, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 14:56, Reply)

Summer
A beautiful summer's day, not so long ago. Myself and the girl i've had a crush on for years go to see The Cure - our favourite band - playing live.
We get there a few hours before, and lie on the grass in the sunshine in each others arms, listening to the many support bands, drinking cold beer and talking about nothing for hours.
Thousands of people around us but we may as well have been completely alone.

The Cure comes on, Robert Smith with his trademark hair and smudged lipstick, and it kicks off.
I h u g her from behind while we dance and sing along and she squeezes my hand.
Then some time in during 'Just like heaven' the song goes 'threw her arms around my neck', at which point she turns round with tears of happiness in her eyes, throws her arms round my neck and h u g s me. That was my most perfect moment to date.

Afterwards we drive back, I drop her off at her place, kiss her briefly goodnight and head home.
( Weetobix, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 14:40, Reply)

This Is Long
i have many great memories from my 23 years so far. there a good ones from parties, holidays, sporting events, and although they all mean a lot to me, most of my greatest memories have been on my own, some are through determination, achieving something great and some are just right there and then amazing.
my favourites are:

body surfing, manly beach, australia. catching a huge wave from out by the cliffs and taking it all the way in to the beach, standing up to an ovation, feeling like a legend for those 2 minutes.

holiday in turkey, one evening, me and my mate simon sitting outside with our guitars under the stars, just strumming along when all of a sudden we made up a song in one playthrough, completely off the cuff and it was (and still is) amazing.

jumping out a perfectly good plane above dubai. unbelievable view, the wind blowing through my hair, felt fantastic.

sanibel island, florida, 6pm, huge lightning storm, sit watching it from fire exit stairs in hotel, lasts well over 2 hours. go down to beach after and lie down on the warm, wet sand. wake up at 3am to the beautiful sound of the waves lapping at the shore. light up a cigarette and just feel great, on so many levels. stand up to walk into the sea, only to find about a million turtles around me laying there eggs under the full moon. truly amazing, especially as later i was told it only happens for 6 hours every year, and i was sleeping amongst them. always makes me smile.

when i was younger i loved this girl, but she was going out with my bet mate. do inbetween the crying and aggression i decided to climb up onto my roof and lay down. lying naked on my roof with nothing but a towel was a great feeling, then i saw a shooting star and it made me think everything was going to be ok again. so i had a wank and it was fantastic!

driving to saskatoon from calgary in canada last winter with my girlfriend. singing along to doves songs, looking at each other lovingly and fooling around like freaks. we turned the music off, we pulled over, we laid on the roof, staring at the shooting stars and the northern lights under a warm blanket. that was so gorgeous.

but the best moment of my life:

15th February 2004, 4am MST, Underground car park in Banff Springs Hotel, having a smoke with my gorgeous girlfriend, right then and there i knew i wanted to spend my life with the most beautiful girl in the world. it is weird how that was the moment, but that is something that always makes my heart smile. the happiest moment of my life.
( MagicallyInept Bored Sig., Mon 14 Mar 2005, 14:20, Reply)

This Isn't The Place To Do It But...
After reading all of these posts and the emotions contained in them I've really strong urge to meet some of you.

So I think it's time for another B3Ta party. Don't care where it is, as long as it's UK. Anyone who feels the same start yelling for a Mega-B3ta-Meet.

Cheers

Legless
( Legless Mister Stabby - shanks for the memory, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 14:00, Reply)

Grinning like a fool in a busy office...
My first ever memory is swimming underwater in the local swimming pool, according to my Mum this could have been anytime from the age of 6 months. I guess thats the reason why I've an affinity to the blue stuff!
Fast forward 30 years to the Whitsunday Islands and I'm learning to scuba dive. I'm not going to bore you lovely folks with the details but lets just say that when I dive I never want to re-surface. I feel so completely calm and at one with the environment. I've spent hours/days/weeks/months trying to put the feeling into words. Can't.
Go diving, believe me its better than any drug!

May explain why The Big Blue is my favourite film...

No apologies whatsoever
(Tibbins, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 13:59, Reply)

Sand
Me and Mr S climbed to the top of one of the world's highest sand dunes at Sossusvlei, Namibia. It was sunrise, we were first up so the knife-edge of the dune was unspoilt. The silence, the red dunes and blue sky... fabulous.

Then on the way back our Land Rover broke down and a tow-truck pulled it 400km to the nearest town, overnight, with us and two mechanics squeezed into two seats in the truck cab. Then the tow-truck's alternator packed up, so we had to stop every 20km to charge the truck battery from the Land Rover battery.

I could go on and on, but suffice it to say those were the best two days of my life to date. They're gonna be hard to beat.
( Safetyfox, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 13:56, Reply)

Best QOTW ever...
...If only because it's making me sit here and think of more beautiful moments... I'm grinning like a fool now.

I'm quite a shy person but also I like to throw myself into situations. Having never holidayed alone I decided I was going to go to Australia. Suddenly I find myself a third of the way through a flight just thinking 'F*** me, I'm in Dubai!'... By the time I got to Singapore I was literally speechless.

The holiday itself contained its fair share of amazing moments too... One mentioned earlier and also the visit to The Great Ocean Road... Amazing natural rock formations, see foam and spray hitting you in the face. Stunning. Feeding kangaroos was great. As was just seeing Melbourne, an amazing modern city.

Returning to the UK I had a couple of quiet months but with a new outlook on life. Then my matchmaking ex-girlfriend decided to introduce me to a colleague from her work. We got on straight away and soon started dating... Since then I've never been happier. We took a short break to the Lakes in November and just standing by a completely deserted lake with her in my arms... Mountains in the distance with moody clouds and the sun just setting over the horizon was amazing. All this happening to me, someone who never expected to meet anyone who'd want to settle down with me.
( beefandcheese, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 13:48, Reply)

cheer up all
1. About 14ish, sitting beside the boy I would hold all others up to henceforth, who was handsome, sexy, funny, spectacularly intelligent and a complete gentleman, stoking the embers of a fire whilst sitting on a log at the bottom of his garden, and feeling the chemistry between us crackle but not wanting to change the moment at all.

Until me dad came down the path demanding sausages and beer.

2. A few days after 9/11, I was in Rhode Island the same day I was due back to NYC. I convinced my friend we should go to the beach, which was empty but for us two limeys splashing about in the waves and the sun, laughing till my sides hurt and jumping into waves. Which was nearly as good as...

3. Last year I walked off a job after telling my boss to GFY, bought a tent, rented a car and drove down to Cornwall. The beach was empty, the sky clear, beautiful day. The first time I stood up and rode a wave I was so happy, and the look on my boyfriend's face was priceless. I have never been happier before or since.

I plan to live by the sea.

by the way, someone has managed to change the title of this email three times. if anyone can tell me how, they win prizes.
(secretlysomeoneelse, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 13:33, Reply)

Brett3005
"Oh God, it's raining. But I'm not complaining, it's filling me up with new life..."

Ahh, you can't beat a bit of the Mode. Come to think of it, I'll say that standing in the Manchester Evening News Arena, listening to Martin L. Gore sing "Breathe" while looking over at my girlfriend (who was a good 50m away) was one of my beautiful moments.

But my main beautiful moment? I would have to say it was when I was a first year at uni. I was only 16 and I commuted by bus everyday. While other students got to sleep in, I was up 5 days a week at 06:30.

The bus route took in some quite beautiful Fife countryside and more often than not I was listening to "Erasure" by Erasure (atmospheric, beautiful album). I'd gently nod off in complete serenity.

Waking up, I walked from St Andrews bus station to the Physics and Astronomy building. For those that know the area, you'll know that there's a path on the North side of Kinburn park on top of a hill. It overlooks the Old Course, West Sands and the Firth of Tay. You can see everything for miles around. It was always so windy you could see sunshine moving through the gaps in the cloud.

As with most of these comments, that was my little bit of escapism at a time when I needed it. I think most of my beautiful moments have been spent in my bubble, walking about St Andrews listening to music.
( djtrialprice, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 13:02, Reply)

i agree with humpty
fluff, the cuteness that makes us say words we cannot type. i love teh fluff, i really do, it makes me feel warm inside, it makes the grey clouds part and rainbows embrace the sky, it makes birds sing, babies smile and people huge me for just being me. but i just yearn for the opposite, the devil on my left shoulder kicks the shit out of the angel on my right. i want to hear stories of torn testicles, ruptured spleens, fractured skulls. i like to hear the times when days go from bad to worse to hellish, when some poor sod shits himself on a date, when wanks go bad, the colour of your worst vomit.

anyway, lets hope next week i can tell you the full story of when my cousin, shit, pissed, puked and nosebled all over himself at the same time.
( MagicallyInept Bored Sig., Mon 14 Mar 2005, 12:45, Reply)

Moonlight duel
Larp??? My Arse.
I do medieval battle re-enactment with authentic full plate and chainmail, swords etc, and have the scars and knackered fingers to prove it.

Teuksbury battlefield 1997 - the Friday night before the main battle, there were whispers going around the beer tent that there was going to be a duel for honor on the battlefield after midnight.

It turns out that my mentor and friend Paul had 'dishonoured' a member of another group by shagging his Mrs - and the wronged party wanted his honour back by beating the living shit out of Paul with something pointy.

It was a misty night, with a full moon, and me being on the wrong side of a bottle of Moniack mead and too many happy cigarettes staggers onto the field to see the sight of two very large re-enactors leathering each other with swords in the mist and moonlight. It was extremely surreal, out of time - and quite beautiful. Especially when they both bloodily agreed that the woman in question was a slag and that they both needed a beer....

Apologies for the length - but just feel the density...
(Catchag "You know!....For Kids!", Mon 14 Mar 2005, 12:44, Reply)

heaven on earth
Quite simply the most beautiful feeling is walking into Twickenham stadium on Rugby day, beer and pasty in hand and hearing over 70,000 people singing 'Jeruselem' before watching 80 minutes of heaven.
(audreyforbes audreyforbes, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 12:40, Reply)

Rain
Tropical storm from the East coast of the Malaysian peninsula. You can just about make out the Malaysian island on the horizon. It must have been 10pm when the storm broke over the island, and while the sky above was clear with a panorama of stars, the horizon was black, save for the almost constant flashes of fork lightning that would punctuate the skyline.

But my night was not over. By 2am the storm had drifted towards us, and soon I was in torrential rain, beautifully warm, as was the sea through which I walked along the shore, the phosphorescent plankton fleetingly marking my path until the next wave rolled in.

This was only hours after the giant poo failing to flush incident, which again was only hours after she decided I was boyfrind worthy, and so we could share a room and a bathroom. She saw the funny side.
(Dr.Ibble, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 12:38, Reply)

This sudden realisation....
... that I must technically be an insensitive cnut.

You see: I've had many moments that I can wax lyrical about for hours and hours: for example, Introducing Mrs Humpty to Llyn Cau in the hanging valley at the foot of Cader Idris, (Mrs Humpty is a Swede from the flat lands of southern Skåne) and her lapsing into a blissfull silence, only broken by the deep yet simple statment "I could live with this you know"... fantastic, but it means nothing to any of you!! Only to me: Only I can gauge the historical and emotional significance of sitting in that valley at sunrise, with noone but MrsHumpty to share it with.
The Look On her Face was fantastic when she saw the lake stretched out infront of her...


So... NOW.. I'm revelling in the bliss that is the realisation: I'm an insensitive bastard.

I get bored of reading these wonderful (and they all are) moments... They're all great. But they lack the lurid detail that usually drives me and my morbid curiosity to read these pages for hours and hours. I Find myself yearning for a story of somone having to make the choice between shitting or puking, and luck taking a back-seat when thier arse explodes and spray-paints the wall behind them as they whoof thier cookies into the old Armitage-Shanks.

It just lacks the shades of crapulence that drive my mind.

It's fluffy, sweet and cute, and I've voted for many... But there's a limit to the amound of candy-floss that one man can consume in one week.... about 2 pages to be precise.

mm. gusset.

There. I've realised it.
( Humpty Dumpty was Pushed Is unaware of having any limits., Mon 14 Mar 2005, 12:33, Reply)

I have 2, from within about 3 weeks of each other:
1. Lying on a beach in Fiji, after a midnight bonfire singsong, pretty caned, looking at the Milky Way and watching for shooting stars. So peaceful and so beautiful.

2. In New Zealand, swimming in the ocean with about 200 wild Dusky Dolphins. The feeling you get when you look deep into their eyes under the water is just amazing. They seem to know what you are thinking, and the fact that they are there because they want to be there, and enjoy swimming around with all the people makes it just fantastic.

Aah, the memories...
( Fergburger, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 12:29, Reply)

my daughters
When my eldest 3 1/2 tells me she loves me all the way to the moon and back.

My youngest 1 1/2 when she blows me kisses as I drive to work in the morning.
(BadgerPirate, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 12:23, Reply)

sorry guys, another LARP one
candleston (in bridgend) has a great campsite and a large stretch of inland dunes.

This one LARP event, there is a full moon and no clouds, casting an eiree light over the land and turning the sand to silver.

From amongst this appears a sand worm, silent in its approach

Beautiful and scary, some might say sublime
( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 12:06, Reply)

The roar of the crowd, the smell of unwashed Live Role Players!
August 2002, or 1102 in LARP pretend land

There is a 'ritual' the finest ever seen, instead of ranting a bit and demanding magical items, our clan has done something never before seen - a musical ritual!

Ordinarily a handful of people would turn up to see what we do - on this particular occasion, there's about 300.

Anyway, we have a cast of about 12 or so, and its all very melodramatic, especially my death scene.

At the end the crowd cheers - so loud I can't hear the ritualist in front of me, then they rush the circle congratulating and cheering and carrying members of the cast above their heads. We we're very drunk that night - I have a vague recollection of carrying people round and declaring them messiah - but I certainly never bought a drink

apparently the noise from the crowd was so loud that the refs thought that two factions had decided to have a fight.

A great evening, and i can still recall most of the songs!
( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 12:02, Reply)

swan
about 12 years ago (tender age of 18). Myself and a number of similarly minded tossers ran from a taxi to avoid payment (not proud of my youthful follies). As I was staying at a friend house I wasn't familiar with the area & got hopelessly lost. I stumbled upon a lake with a swan gracefully swimming in its centre. There was a full moon and the moonlight just lit the swan in an amazing way. Never before or since have my eyes happened upon such beauty and I know it's a scene that will stay with me for life.

Now when do we get back to questions about wanking?
(bluebiscuit, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 11:50, Reply)

mmmmmmmmmmmmm
skinny dipping with my mrs under the stars in a spring fed pool high up in the coastal Mallorcan mountains....

either that or watching Matt Springs belter sail in from 20 yards against w**ford 10/9/02
( bigmeuprudeboy is using powerpoint or paint...have MERCY, Mon 14 Mar 2005, 11:15, Reply)