Category: Reviews

Not too long ago I noted that I’d received notice that Bella’s Lullaby – a place oft covered in these pages –  was about to undergo a makeover as the hands of region holder BellaSwan Blackheart (thank you, Johann!), and so whilst waiting I toddled off to visit Bella’s other setting, A Place in the Sun (see Finding A Place in the Sun in Second Life). Well, turns out I didn’t have to wait long for the updated Bella’s Lullaby to arrive; it’s now once again open for business, so I bounced over to see what is new.

At the time of my last visit to the region, back in February 2024, I noted that the region had something of a North European feel to it – like a small island nestled along the Scottish coast or Europe’s Wadden or Baltic Sea coastlines. With this iteration, the region maintains something of a similar vibe – albeit one where the off-region mountains might suggest his location is further north and west and lying off of Norway’s marvellous “crinkly bits” (as Douglas Adams once referred to it) coastline.

There are certain similarities about this design and the last iteration of Bella’s Lullaby – and indeed, with A Place in the Sun – which gave me a subtle sense of being on an island-hopping journey with Bella through a place where the different islands are perhaps all part of the same chain. There are motifs and elements common to two out of the tree – or even all three – that can be spotted as one explores. This is common enough given the way items in inventory can be repurposed and / or reused, and certainly not to the region’s negative; rather the reverse in fact as it allowed my imagine to suggest a narrative linking these places together in my head.

This is again a design where less is more –  an approach at which Bella is exceedingly good. The landscape presents a semi-rugged, low-lying island. Forming the same of a “C”, it sits with the open mouth of the “C” pointing westwards to cup a shallow bay in the island’s grassy arms. A single thumb tack of an island is pinned in the open mouth of the bay, a lighthouse atop it providing warning of the shallow waters within. There are no hills here, just a gentle undulation across the landscape as it keeps itself above the rippling of the surrounding waters, the coastline moss and grass-topped rock that drops sharply into those waters without feeling the need for any intervening shoreline of shingle or sand.

As well as the lighthouse, the island is home to a house and a cabin. Both are topped with turf on their roofs to help with insulation, with the house offering a attic space large enough to form a bedroom, although only a sofa occupies it. Who lives here is open to the imagination – but whoever they are, they certainly love their cats! Despite being barely furnished, the house has a cosy feel to it, possibly because of the overgrown nature of the grounds surrounding it; shrubs and flowers hem it in, combining with the  vines climbing the walls to give the house a sense of warmth and hideaway.

A rough path runs around the shore of the bay to reach the cabin. This is a much smaller affair, and appears to be more of a washroom / garden house than a home.

The two arms of the island are of slightly different width, broad where it is home to the larger house, then narrowing gently as it sweeps around past the cabin, giving the impression of a tail trailing away from the main body of land. As well as the house and cabin, the wider portion of the island boasts a large coppice of trees between cabin and house with a smattering of outlying small tress to either side which appear to be standing guard over this side of the island. The tail, however, is without trees and displays more of the island’s rocky underpinning as it points back past the lighthouse.

Within this landscape is wildlife and animals a-plenty: the cats already mentioned (more of which are to be found outside), chickens, geese, goats, cows – not to mention the local birds. A sound scape adds further depth here, offering the bleat of goats and the musical joy of birdsong.

This is a place very much for wandering and photography; the open nature of the landscape allows for multiple opportunities for landscape photography, whilst the scattered elements of smaller details encourage more focused pieces. And believe me, camming around carefully is well worth it, Bella’s ability to put together little vignettes that suggest her settings are living, breathing places is excellent, and there is a rich clustering of these around the main house – some in plain view, others perhaps requiring a little patience to focus in on.

If you’re looking for cuddle spots, then it is possible this setting might appear to disappoint; just be sure to take a closer look. There are places to sit aplenty, all neatly spread across the region indoors and (particularly) out, and several include single and couple sits, with one also including options for taking a plunge in the waters of the bay (and for engaging in a little kung fu or practicing anything you may have learned at Hogwarts!).

Bella always produces memorable settings to explore, appreciate and photograph, and this iteration of Bella’s Lullaby is no exception – so do be sure to pop along and pay a visit.

SLurl Details

• Bella’s Lullaby (Forks, rated Moderate)

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)