As we approach the half-way mark for 2024, spring is inevitably moving towards summer for many of us in the world at large. This is the time when many public regions across Second Life are lovingly given a make-over by their holders and friends, ready to accept visitors old and new with a fresh look to entice and engage.
One such region about – at the time of writing – to go through such a rebirth is that of Bella’s Lullaby, held by BellaSwan Blackheart, a place I’ve always enjoyed visiting and writing about; the last time being in February 2024. Hearing the news that things are about to change reminded me that I had yet to visit Bella’s “new” region design, that of A Place in the Sun – so off I hopped.
This is another of Bella’s designs that carries with it a marvellous understatement of natural beauty that immediately captures the eye and offers a richness of detail without in the least feeling forced or overloaded.
Feel welcome and embrace nature at its purest form. Just find a spot to sit and be comfortable, where you can take in the sights, sounds and beauty of nature ❤
– BellaSwan Blackheart
In tone, the setting is somewhat similar to the iteration of Bella’s lullaby I visited in February 2024, a low-lying island watched over by the revolving eye of a lighthouse at one end, caught under a sky painted in the feathers of clouds and where the touch of human hands has been minimal enough so as not to spoil the island’s beauty.
Such is the lay of the land that this is a place which might – at first glance, be within the same group of islands as February’s iteration of Bella’s Lullaby. This is largely due to the overall environment settings, which give the feel of both being under the same sky, although the birds and wildfowl present here also add to that sense.
However, the most notable difference here lay with the main building, a marvellous Tuscan style villa complete with a stone-slabbed terrace sitting under open-roofed arches, with a stairway leading up to a raise balcony-come-terrace, a perfect spot for relaxing on any enjoy a glass of three of wine on a summer’s evening. From this house a rough path formed more by the passage of feet down the years rather than being deliberately designed, winds to the water’s edge and then on to the lighthouse.
Much of the shoreline is such that boats can be beached in the shallows without undue harm to them – as can be witnessed in places – but here and there decks and boardwalks are provided for rowing boats and small craft to come alongside. Some of these – as with the boats – offer places to sit and pass the time. Further places to sit are scattered across the island in such a way as to suggest a hand has casually tossed them to leave them lie wheresoever they fall, whilst a large trailer caravan makes up the remaining structure to occupy the landscape.
What makes many of these little spots so appealing is the manner in which they are surrounded by, or close to, groups of the island’s winged inhabitants, allowing us all to become bird watchers. From white geese and Canada geese to sandpipers, godwits and ducks, to gulls, thrushes, starlings and more, this is a popular stopping-off point for those otherwise on the wing. Closer to the house, peacocks keep an eye on chickens, whilst the local cats watch with disinterest, contenting themselves to sit or lie with canine friends and soak up the Sun.
Although the outside of the house is rich in bric-a-brac, inside it is more austere. There’s a small kitchen, complete with freshly picked apples from the trees outside, whilst one of the two remaining rooms is solely occupied by a sofa and the other is a little painter’s studio. These give the suggestion that, rather than being a home, this is a retreat; a place to escape the rest of the world and create. It’s an engaging juxtaposition: the exterior of the house suggesting it is a cosy home; the interior giving the appearance habitation here is somewhat temporary, giving the villa an air of mystery.
Rounded off by a subtle and fitting sound scape (so be sure to have local sounds on), A Place in the Sun is wonderful in its minimalism – which is itself deceptive, given the obvious care and attention Bella has paid to the region’s appearance in order to present such an engaging setting for us to enjoy. So do be sure to visit.
SLurl Details
- A Place in the Sun (Simply Heaven, rated Moderate)
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 