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Bored on my own late at night, I once climbed up on Old New College walls by the bins near the kitchens, and scrambled along the battlements in one direction, then over the kitchen roofs and I don't know what to peer out over the front gate. Point is, all that I saw, I was the only one there to see (I can't believe in 600 years no one did the same, obviously).

More routinely, and it's what put the question in my head, as of this moment, no one but me has experience the light as framed in the mirror over my bathroom taps, of the candles obscured by wax at the other end of the bath, of the street lights in Lower Clapton Road as broken up by the frosted glass in my bathroom window, and — not tonight but some bathnights, if I time it correctly — the impossibly deep blue of a darkening dusk sky. All framed in that little mirror. Designed to shared, but not shared, yet.

― mark s, Saturday, 1 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

the views you'd like to have shared, if you actually knew anyone you'd want to share them with at the time you saw them

― mark s, Saturday, 1 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

They probably wouldn't understand though.

― Paul Barclay, Saturday, 1 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I would like everyone o see the grey water and fractured misty broken islands from the beach of Mount Douglas Park in Victoria
Or the impossible whiteness of a stand of birch trees at 6 am in the middle of a snowfall.

― anthony, Saturday, 1 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Mentioned these sunset locales recently, but to say it again:

* standing on San Juan Island looking over towards Vancouver Island as the sun goes down behind it

* standing near the coast on the Palos Verdes peninsula as the sun sets near where Santa Catalina is

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 1 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Mark S clearly = Steerpike on this evidence.

― Norman Phay, Saturday, 1 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If Mark S = Steerpike, will Mark S have sex with me? Please?

― Maria, Saturday, 1 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Crikey! A bunch of my friends went camping once and I went along, and once everyone had gone to bed I found I was unable to get to sleep, so I just stayed up all night and read a book with a little pocket torch. The sky was clear and the moon was full, and in hindsight I should have just stared at that all evening rather than read 'On The Road', bah.

― DG, Sunday, 2 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

One of my favourite views occured about a month a go. It was 12.30 am...I looked out the window, the moon was almost full, the sky was dark blue, it was really windy and the clouds raced from west to east, some of the clouds looked a rusty red, and some were yellow. In between the clouds I could see the stars and a few aeroplanes.

― james, Sunday, 2 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hmmm. Yeah, the book reading business. It's odd that people spend enourmous (sometimes) amounts of money going on holiday, and when they get there they spend a large amount of time with their head in a book which they could read in the comfort of their own squalid flat.

I once saw a dead fox silently drift along beneath the surface of an ice covered river. It was only visable for a moment, I could even see its eyes wide open. It was quickly carried away and disappeared from view.

― DavidM, Sunday, 2 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"I knew as I climbed, I climbed for a reason: how could I know that reason was the love of a girl who would not even born for another four years…"

Maria, luckily for the equilibrium of everything I am *not* Steerpike. Steerpike saw a horse having a swim on the roof of a far off building. That would would have been Oriel College, I think: anyway there was no horse.

(ps why do smart girls prefer bad boys?)

― mark s, Sunday, 2 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

riding a horse thru the cheviots midwinter and feeling like the first/last person on earth

― , Sunday, 2 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

why do smart girls prefer bad boys?

Because they look brooding and intense like this.

― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 2 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Let's try that link again.

― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 2 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Funnily enough, Maria, I am Steerpike. And so's my wife.

― Mark C at easyeverything, Sunday, 2 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Because he is a very very BEAUTIFUL bad boy. That's why.

― Maria, Sunday, 2 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The tiny chink of sea visible from my window, and then when you can see a lot more of it about 5 minutes' walk from my house. Fantastic.

― Robin Carmody, Sunday, 2 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I have seen the madness in my area.

― Andrew L, Sunday, 2 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Glad I haven't.

― Robin Carmody, Sunday, 2 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Odd, but I used to scuttle out on the roof of Queen's over Back Quad Four, Three & Two and lookl over the battlements into New College. I've seen your view in reverso.

Actually my usual not sleeping view though was to go into the University parks at Three in the morning by the cattlegrid on the road to Marston and sit by the river there (which opened out into a bit of a flood plain at times) and sing loud indie boy songs.

The view from our flat has obviously been shared, but the sunrise over London can sometimes be absolutely beautiful. Though since we don't have curtains if you are kipping in the Front Room you will be woken.

― Pete, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Last night Kate, Ed and me were driving down Crouch Hill towards La Porchetta and got a good London vista.

But nothing beats Hungerford Bridge at about 11pm when it's quiet.

― suzy, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I went to see Jesus Christ Superstar and we were going home afterwards and took a shortcut and we saw Jesus outside having a smoke.

― Ronan, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Funnily enough Mark I was thinking about posting a thread like this butr I didn't know how to word it.

Mine is if I am lying in the sofa in my living room, and there's low cloud outside I sometimes see planes on the Stansted flight path coming straight for me. At night they have forward facing lights and they kind of pierce through the murk, creating little beams of light flying through the sky, it just looks really really cool.

― chris, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Because he is a very very BEAUTIFUL bad boy. That's why.

No! NO! Steerpike is NOT good-looking in the least. Jonathan Rhys- Meyers (if that R his name) might be, but that is because he is not the TROO Steerpike.

― Sam, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

ronan that is a top story however the word "we" means this is not the thread for it

interesting whose views are manmade, whose unalloyed nature in her batty majesty

― mark s, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes but no Ilxers were there so relatively speaking only I have seen it. it's old mr mark s who runs the abandoned pedantic amusement park, and he would have gotten away with it too if it wasnt for you pesky kids.

― Ronan, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"pedantic amusement park" = hilarious phrase, and stonking idea also, hmmmm

― mark s, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

You would have a pirate ship thatinstead of going upside down would really have pirates on it which would rob you and make you walk the planet. A log flume with real logs. A ride called Nemesis which really would be the death of anyone who went on it.

This one will run & run.

― Pete, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"You would have a pirate ship thatinstead of going upside down would really have pirates on it which would rob you and make you walk the planet."

That would be a *space* pirate ship, surely?

― Trevor, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Note to self, never post whilst simultaneously having a conversation about the likelyhood of that new planet they found harbouring life.

Mind you, if you were applying for a job at the theme parkj you've just passed the first test. (I love space pirates by the way. Especially when they wear eye patches for no descernable reason except that real pirates did).

― Pete, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Where does a pirate go shopping for his kiddies' Christmas presents?

Toys Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Us.

― Pedantic Pirate, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Where does Starry Sarah go to get kissed?

Ans: Gorrrrrrrrrrrrrr

― mark s, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

ps why do smart girls prefer bad boys?

They are the only ones who fancy us.

― rosemary, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Damn right Suzy. Hungerford Bridge any time any day, but especially, as you say, when no-one's there.

― Robin Carmody, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The same one that's covered and you can barely see anything from at all?! Waterloo bridge is much better.

― Sarah, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

It's only covered temporarily while they're doing building work. It's normally better than Waterloo bridge cos it's higher up.

― RickyT, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Under the moonlight at the high camp on Mera peak. -20C I get up to go to the loo, I'm bowled over by the full moon the spread of the hymalayas before me. everything from kachenjunga to everest and an expanse of the most incrdible deep bluee night sky.

― Ed, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Smoking quietly while all else inside asleep, under a tin-roof leany part that keeps the rain off if it's raining. This is in Knoxville late at night, looking down into "The Glen" (as my father tried vainly to get it called) and the pine woods behind, which were slowly falling and twisting and giving way to the hardwoods, brusquely shouldering them aside like policemen. The moonlight on their branches sending dull bluegreen signals, as I smoked. The bottom of this painting is framed with a foreground of obscure tools and things jumbled in a pile, the far background indicated by the winking light of the Berrier's trailer up on blocks through the pines, about 20 feet off Maryville Pike, which is the outer edge of recognition. I'd like to share this with someone someday. But as of now, I don't share it even with my family.

― Tracer Hand, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

No the pedantic amusement park would have people employed to hassle everyone about what sort of amusement they were having and whether it was amusement or not. They'd get kicked out if they didn't enjoy themselves in a way which fitted the "amusement park" title. Er maybe that's just a normal amusement park.

― Ronan, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

mark s = hemulen who loved silence! yay! SHH!! sorry...

― mark s, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I would say... Coming down a country road on a set of bobs carrying 10 or so of us, and not losing a one!= about 3 miles! LOL Now the very best is to go for a nice walk winter or summer with someone you love around the town square, just holding hands.= very nice indeed!. F.B. Gale

― Gale Deslongchamps, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I like the town of Oundle by night.

― Anthony Sanderson, Tuesday, 4 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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