Inspirational - What fills your soul?

[Rogue Chef]

A poem, a song, a speech, a painting, sculpture, sights, sounds, deeds. There are some things that bring a lump to your throat and lift your spirits.

Some of my favourites:

The English Lake District.
Snowdonia.
The Mourne Mountains.
Glencoe.

I vow to thee my country.
Jerusalem.

The Soldier - Rupert Brook.

The defence at Rourkes Drift.
Zeebrugge.

Watching my eleven year old daughter play rugby with boys.

[Artist]

Today. Took the Mutt for a walk and ended up at the top of Bickerton Hills and there before me was the Cheshire countryside in all it's splendour fading away into purple hints as the distance increased.

Last time I felt so at one with the world was in Norge when I was stood on top of a mountain at 0200hrs in the morning, decided to do a painting of what I saw, the lads with me at first started to take the pee but soon shut up when they saw the view though my eyes as it appeared on the scrap of paper I painted it on.

Once back in Lanke Camp Major Knott MC took one look at it and promptly offered me £20 for the piccy. Told him to bugger off as it was worth at least £30! He paid up as well!

Artist

[Rogue Chef]

The title of this thread is 'What fills your soul?' Not what fills your pockets!

Just heard that Daz, a former colleague who left us in the summer, died of bowel cancer last night. He was only diagnosed a couple of months ago. There was no indication when he was still on our team, so it showed up and struck fast. The prognosis wasn't hopeful from the start.

Daz, was a former RSM in the LI, in his mid 40s, very fit and had a young family.
He and I weren't good mates and sometimes didn't 'see eye to eye', however we shared a few beers before he left and we separated as friends.

I sent him SMS messages a few times to try to keep him positive.
I hadn't heard any news about him for a while, so was about to send him a Happy New Year text and a 'no news is good news' message when I received the bad news.

I'm pleased, if only for my own peace of mind, that we parted on good terms.

[Sisyphus]

A very pernicious cancer if not caught early. I lived in #36. Our neighbour, Ann, in #38, died of the disease at the age of 43. A few months after our neighbour, Paul, in # 32 died of the same disease. He was a dentist in his early 40s. His wife is a GP and she never spotted any early signs either.


In one of life's strange coincidences my wife just handed me a letter from the NHS Cancer Screening Programme to tell me the result of my Occult Faecal Blood Test was normal - also, that I'll be retested in two years.

At least the government has recognized the importance of early diagnosis and are doing something about it. I sent off my samples on 22nd December and the results letter was dated 29 December - so hats off to the NHS for their efficiency.

Hopefully, fewer people will face the same fate as Daz in the future.

[Shoulderholster]

What fills my soul . . .
After spending hours on my make up to look 'nice' for the Airborne Forces day and having a member of 3 Para Mortars tell me I look nice.
Finding a pair of size 11 court shoes.
And then finding the handbag that matches in the sales.

Plus trivial things like . . .
Catching one of those big brown trout that frequent the upper reaches of the Wharfe.
Duck flighting under a full moon and hearing the Teal circling overhead.
The sound of a pack of fox hounds in full cry,and the crisp notes of a hunting horn mixed in with it.
Watching that perfect Roe Buck in the early hours of a July morning as the mist starts to burn off.


SH

[Rogue Chef]

Are you John Peel?

[Shoulderholster]

Was John Peel a cross dresser as well?.
Knock me down with that feather if you find it.

SH xx

[London Boy]

Ralph Vaughan Williams
John Betjeman
Kate Bush
William Blake
The Swedish winter and the London autumn
Elgar
Morrissey
Jethro Tull
The Stranglers
Running in the woods

To name but a few

[Sisyphus]

Well,

There's James Joyce's Ulysses
Roger Waters - 'The Powers That Be'
Puccini's - 'El bel di vedremo'
Procul Harem's - 'A Whiter Shade of Pale'
Elkie Brooks....


Er, hang on. What is the question? Where can it go? And what's the point?
I mean, "WHAT IS THE POINT?"

[Hyperlithe]

Sis, we've already established that a lot of posts/threads on these forums have no point. At least it's not offensive!

Personally, Elgar's Enigma Variations, in particular, Nimrod.
I know that sounds corny, but I first played the piece at the age of about 13, obviously long before I joined up.
Also the Lost Chord by Arthur Sullivan.

Away from music, all my friends' new babies. There's something about all that potential and possibility wrapped up in one small bundle.

[London Boy]

I know that sounds corny

Not at all, I've always loved that piece. And even moreso since it was played at a fellow officer's funeral about 15 years ago.

[Artist]

The title of this thread is 'What fills your soul?' Not what fills your pockets!

RC, I did not paint it for dosh. I painted it because it was splendid to see. Yon Boss liked it, so I sold it, ENDEX. Tis what Bootnecks do is it not?

Artist

[Tab]

Strolling over the south downs, and dropping into some of the old churches along the way, now I can't call my self religious by any means, but some of those churches go back a thousand years and the history in them is some thing to behold. Standing on the cliffs and just feeling the wind and sun on you takes a lot beating. Just to get away from all those mobile phones with people shouting down them the daftest things, still I am just a silly old sod.

[flighty]

Ding, Dong, the Witch is Dead!

Love it!

[Marina]

At the moment

Schubert's Ave Maria sung by Barbara Bonney (I just have tears whenever I listen to this)
Let it Be - The Beatles

Loch Lomand
Khyber Pass

The meaning of Love - poem by Rumi
Alive - a film based on a true story

non atheletes who run the marathon for charities and those people who come last at the Olympics. When they run you just feel for them on the last lap

People risking their own lives to help dying people in places of conflict