Tag: BellaSwan Blackheart

It’s been a year since I last visited Bella’s Lullaby, the homestead region design series by Bella (BellaSwan Blackheart). It is one of several of Bella’s designs I’ve always enjoyed visiting, presenting as it does various pastoral and rural setting for people to enjoy.

At the time of my last visit (see: Bella’s summer Lullaby in Second Life) it presented a varied landscape, surrounded my mountains and suggestive of somewhere in Norway (perhaps). Prior to that, in February 2024, the region lay as a windswept island setting, the location of a modest homestead and watched over by a squat lighthouse (see: A return to Bella’s Lullaby in Second Life).

Welcome to Bella’s Lullaby where the vast, rugged landscapes stretch as far as the eye can see and nature’s beauty unfolds in every direction. The wide-open spaces invite you to breathe deeply and soak in the serenity that surrounds you.

– Bella’s Lullaby About Land description

It is to this latter theme that the region has returned for summer 2025. Which is not to say the current iteration is in any way a simple rehash of the February 2024 design; whilst similar in nature, there are sufficient enough differences between the February 2024 and July 2025 designs to allow the imagination to suggest that both are separate but perhaps within the same group of islands.

Where these island might lie is a matter for you imagination. For me, the setting has always struck me as being somewhere off the coast of Scotland, perhaps among the inner islands there. Or of not, then perhaps tucked away somewhere along Europe’s Wadden or Baltic Sea coastlines. The land is low, devoid of trees, but with a soil rich enough to hold wild grass on which goats and horse might graze, and patches of wild flowers.

Wherever it might lie, this particular island is popular with birds; they are to be found throughout on rooftops, tables, fence posts, circling the lighthouse and elsewhere. Perhaps the island is along a migratory or feeding path; perhaps the bird were carried here by the wind – or perhaps they are keeping and eye on things.

Scattered across the island area number of cabins and shacks, some with strong suggestions of homeliness on the outside, but few furnished within (which is also not to say they are empty shells). Together they present the idea of a rugged settlement, the fires within offering warmth in the face of the cold winds which doubtless make their presence felt across the island.

As well as being watched over by birds, the island is home to roaming horses and goats, and someone is also raising chickens. Also spread across the setting are places to sit and pass the time.

Rugged and caught under what might be a late evening sky, or one seen just before first full light of the rising Sun, Bella’s Lullaby remains an engaging, photogenic visit.

SLurl Details

• Bella’s Lullaby (Forks, rated Moderate)

Over the years I’ve covered many of region settings designed by Bella (BellaSwan Blackheart), and have always enjoyed my time exploring them and taking photos. So when I saw via Bella’s Second Life profile that she now has a place called Between the Clouds, I was curious to see what it might be all about.

Sitting within a Full region split into 16 4096 sq metre parcels – something which, as a by-the-by, I haven’t dropped into in a very long time – Between the Clouds is much smaller than Bella’s other settings. As a result, and upon arrival, the setting might be mistaken as a sky build mostly comprising building shells and – other than upper portion of a tower block apparently thumbing its nose at gravity – little else. But first impressions often deceive, and such is the case here: there is a lot going on and waiting to be discovered.

Welcome to this little hideaway high upon the sky and discover the hidden spots this place has to offer. Feel free to enter the buildings that are accessible and hang out wherever you want. No nudity or any sexual activities please! 

– Between the Clouds About Land description

Take, for example that floating tower block roof area; it forms the setting’s Landing Point, and the rooftop on which people arrive is speckled by colourful paper cranes whilst the roof over the elevator winch room has been imaginatively turned into a little swimming pool.

The stairs alongside the winch room lead down to the rest of the remnants of the tower – including the upper doors of an elevator shaft. However, given the rest of the building is not longer there, trying to call for the elevator might be a little difficult. Instead, the stairways offers the most immediate route down – but do beware of the last step, it’s a big one (although a paddling pool has thoughtfully been provided to enable incoming bodies to splash down 😀 ).

Further progress to the setting’s street level requires a further leap of faith. Or at least a leap; one which will drop you down into a grassy courtyard with little businesses tucked into it – although most of these appear to have been shuttered and to have seen better days.

Two routes out of this courtyard are offered; a narrow alley link through to a much larger square, again overgrown with grass and around which various businesses are arrayed on the ground floors of stubby apartment blocks, one of which appears to have never been completed. The second route away from the courtyard is via stairs leading between more squat buildings. However, this doesn’t go too far – but it down offer a route to a couple more of the little spaces set aside throughout the setting for people to sit an pass the time.

What then of all the little details I mentioned? Well, these take many forms – find the right door, and you can take the stairs up to a trio of small apartments being put to various uses, for example. Another door offers a similar upwards climb ending in the rather unsettling sight of a couple of hazmat-suited figures in heavy gas masks apparently observing the square from behind the gaping maws of frameless windows, one of which has an equally not-too-reassuring sign reading FALLOUT SHELTER beneath it. This little tableau, together with the office space in the same building where a monitor screen warns NO SIGNAL PLEASE STAND BY, possibly offer the makings of a narrative for the setting – but I’ll leave you to work out what form any story might take.

Also in the large square is a sturdy builder’s scaffold; but while there are building blocks on and under it, it now appears to be in support of a stone statue and fountain, adding another mystery to the setting – a mystery furthered by the apparent hints of habitation which suggest whoever lived here may have rapidly departed: bicycles sit in a rack or propped against walls along with a deserted moped; underwear hangs on a washing line; slippers await feet by an armchair and, most intriguingly of all, a pair of glasses holding paper papers with scribbled sketches and partner by an old cell phone and a stagnant cup of tea, as if suddenly abandoned.

Not that the place is entirely devoid of life; beside the two strange figures up in the apartment building, this is a place rich in bird song and the cooing of pigeons; there’s even a big dog apparently awaiting the return of its owner, who appears to have left some handwritten cards and little bear (perhaps a toy for the dog?) on the bench  – and  I’ll leave you to find the other dog 🙂 . Then there are the setting’s cats; around a dozen of them are scattered around, some keeping an eye on things, other catching up on their sleep – and one taking on the role of an unusual star of a television!

Deceptively engaging, Between the Clouds is one of those locations which demonstrates you don’t have to have a complete region in which to allow your imagine loose; small can be equally as a captivating and photogenic.

SLurl Details

• Between the Clouds (Starry Isles, rated: Moderate)

A Place Between appears to be turning into something of a theme for Bella (BellaSwan Blackheart); in June I had the pleasure of visiting her A Place Between The Rocks, inspired by the house at Castel Meur, a physical world location within the department of Côtes-d’Armor, France (and about which you can read more here). More recently, and within the same Homestead region, Bella has created A Place Between Trailers, which I believe opened in late September / early October (I could be wrong in that estimate), and which I finally managed to ger to visit at the start of November 2024.

Whilst carrying forward the Place Between theme, this is a very different location to that of A Place Between the Rocks, in that appears born entirely of Bella imagination – an imagination which has given birth to multiple settings and iterations of settings (such as Bella’s Lullaby), many of which I’ve recorded in these pages.

In this instance, Bella invites us to visit a a trailer park, which I’ve liked to images ins on a coastal headland somewhere, even if it is entirely surrounded by water; your own imagination may disagree, but that’s fine; life would be boring if our imaginations all ran along the same tracks.

The skies are grey, the weeds are thick and on the horizon looms decrepit trailers in the shadows. Welcome at a Place between trailers, enjoy your stay!

– A Place Between Trailers About Land description

This is a setting pretty much centred in the region’s low-lying grassland, taking the form of the above-mentioned trailer park; a place which has perhaps seen better days as it runs south-to-north through the land, surrounded by a smattering of trees too loosely spread to be called a woodland, but also perhaps too large and too mature a group to comfortably be called a copse. The landing point sits at the southern end of the park, where what appears to be a site office and entrance spans the main track through the place – although admittedly, the sign on the roof suggests the trailer park is in fact on the waterside of the building, rather than on the inland side!

There’s a lot to see here even before setting out to explore; the office is furnished – if basically so – and evidences someone connected with the park has been in receipt of postcards from abroad, suggesting they have well-travelled friends. Outside, a magazine stand offers puzzle and entertainment magazines to help pass the time, together with – amusingly for me, the London edition of Time Out, celebrating the city where that publication started its long life.

This magazine stand will also provide a notecard for visitors on being touched. Among other things, this provides guidelines on behaviour in the region and also notes on joining the local group for rezzing props for photography. It concludes with a firm but fair warning from Bella:

If you just follow these simple guidelines, I’m sure we will all get along just fine and if not, I’m sending you home without further notice 😀

So, make sure you familiarise yourself with the rules!

Further into the park stands what appears to be a washhouse of dubious hygiene. Facing this is a large trailer home packed with details that help bring it to life both indoors and out; touches which help give clues about whoever his living there – and their sense of humour! Further along the track still is the local general store whilst further caravans and trailers mark the northern extent of the park.

This is a place which has seen better days, to be sure; but it also carries hints of modern living; microwave transmitters sit at the top of a mast, suggesting the place has good cellular reception; computers hint as Internet connectivity, and someone is attempting to go green with a PV panel – even if it does appear to be purely for powering their television, itself turned to an interesting choice of channels…

The latter sits in one of the elevated parts of the setting and alongside a greenhouse of industrial size that has clearly seen better days. Curiously, and despite being elevated, it has also been subject to flooding at some point, with the floor still an inch or two under water which has apparently spawned the growth of surface weeds.

Quite what caused this to happen is unclear; perhaps the sprinkler system once used to water whatever was grown here malfunctioned, leading to to the greenhouse being abandoned, the water left within it too shallow to reach over sills and drain away. However, the place looks like it might well have been converted to use as an entertainment hall, so perhaps it was simply abandoned through lack of use, and the rain as been steadily finding its way inside. Either way, the greenhouse is now the home of a worn armchair and sofa, rubber ducks and the bloodied “corpse” of a video surveillance  teddy bear floating in the water, hinting at a mystery here.

Beyond this, the setting lies open to exploration, the trees scatter far enough apart so as to not required paths through them as they stand like sentinels around the park, the coastline sloping gently down to the surrounding waters. Several places to sit and pass the time can also be found throughout, but one of the things I particularly enjoy about the location is the local wildlife and animals, all of which bring further life to the setting throughout.

In all, another superb location from Bella.

SLurl Details

• A Place Between The Rocks (simply Heaven, rated Moderate)

Sitting on the north side of Brittany, the westernmost region of metropolitan France and facing the English Channel, is the department of Côtes-d’Armor. It’s an area with an interesting geography and an equally interesting history, encompassing as it does a curious mix of being both strongly Catholic and also having a long tradition of anti-clericalism.

Brittany as a whole has a lot to commend to visitors, including within the Côtes-d’Armor, containing as it does the seaside resort of Perros-Guirec, the Castle of the Roche Goyon (aka Fort la Latte), a monument historique, and – close by to the castle – the peninsula of  Cap Fréhel with its spectacular cliffs, moorland terrain, lighthouses (one dating back to the 17th century) and (now controversial, due to the wind farm location roughly 15 km off the coast) views out over the channel waters.

Côtes-d’Armor is also the location of the commune (here meaning an “administrative division” of a similar nature to something like a civic parish in the UK or a civil township in the USA, rather than a place where hippies might bliss out) of Plougrescant. Extending its thumb out into the English Channel and with the town of Plougrescant sitting at the inland end of the thumb, this area features a marvellous circular walk out and back from the town taking visitors up the eastern coastline to its northernmost tip, La Pointe du Château, and the the beginning of a fabulous rocky landscape with glowing hues, which breaks up the lowlands, with the path followed this more rugged setting back south along the western coastline. As it does so, the path by Castel Meur, a lowland peninsula with two small headlands, a lake-like body of water trapped on their landward sides.

Sitting on the more northerly of these two little headlands and overlooking the inland waters is the remarkable la Maison du Gouffre, “the house between the rocks” (and which is perhaps more widely also known by the name of the land). Remarkable, because la Maison du Gouffre is exactly what it’s name suggests: a house (cottage might be a better term nowadays) built slap bang between two outcrops of rock rising from the flatland like teeth.

Built in 1861, the house has always been in precarious position – the weather can be frequently violent  – and utilises the rocky outcrops on either side as a means of protection whilst also being built so that its back faces the open expanse of the English Channel. As such, it has survived down the years, and – remarkably – has remained largely in the hands of the descendants of the original occupiers. Such is its iconic look, that over the years, the cottage was featured in a series of tourist campaigns intended to bring visitors from around the world to Brittany.

One of these campaigns used a postcard with an image of the cottage, and was so successful, it not only brought visitors to Brittany – it brought them practically to the front door of the cottage. As a result, in 2004 the owner (and granddaughter of the original owner) successfully sued for, and won, all commercial image rights over the property, preventing its use in any commercial venture without her expression permission.

As a private residence, la Maison du Gouffre is not open to visitors, but non-commercial photographs can still be taken whilst passing by, and thanks to people posting personal images on-line, etc., its fame has potentially grown even more.

However, you don’t necessarily have to visit France to witness the marvel of la Maison du Gouffre; you can currently do so right here in Second Life, courtesy of Bella (BellaSwan Blackheart), who brings us her homestead region design A Place Between The Rocks, inspired by the house at Castel Meur.

Just like its namesake in the physical world, the setting provides a scene of a largely flat landscape broken by three large outcrops of rock, the large two of which offer some shelter to the little cottage nestled between them. The cottage is, again like its namesake, a stone-built structure with shuttered windows bracketing the front door, and squat chimneys to either end of a roof from which gabled dormer windows stare out over the land and water. This is not a furnished property within, but outside has all the indications of being occupied: potted plants are much in evidence, chickens are being kept, a bicycle with a bag of groceries is propped outside of the front door, whilst a cobbled terrace to the rear of the place shows signs of use as it sits under a wooden pergola.

No lake faces the front of the house, the general design of the setting suggesting it is an island unto itself (with a smaller one sitting just offshore as a study point for an artist), but the low wall surrounding the original has its digital sibling here. Rich in heather and wild grass, the land has the feeling of being both windswept and at times pounded by angry storms, the island-like nature of the entire setting merely adding to its sense of beauty and retreat.

A Place Between The Rocks is a part of Bella’s default group, Bella’s Lullaby, so members of that group will have rezzing rights on the land for photography, while those requiring such rights can obtain them for L$40 – just please pick up your bits after you. Caught under a very suitable EEP setting, and rich in the sounds of cats (they’re all around, keeping an eye on things!), bird and chickens and with places to sit scattered around awaiting discovery, this is another excellent region design by Bella.

SLurl Details

• A Place Between The Rocks (simply Heaven, rated Moderate)

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)