Simploring 2022 (3) Soft Melody – Spring Sakura Celebration

09 Apr 2022 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Exploring sims in Second Life Tags: , , ,

I was looking for a destination for a simploring tour on Thursday, April 7th. A post on Ad Vitam Æternam caught my eye because of it’s name “Soft Melody – Spring Sakura Celebration” for three reasons. Firstly I enjoyed my visits to “Missing Melody” and I thought, perhaps it is another iteration of “Missing Melody” (read about Missing Melody in this blog here). Secondly Sakura is the Japanese name for cherry blossom trees and I enjoy the blossoms in Spring a lot, I even have one tree in my garden that it actually blooming. And thirdly the pictures on Ad Vitam Æternam were tempting.

Soft Melody is an island hidden in the sky. The landmark description gives away a bit what to expect: “As you will walk down the alley the blossom scent will lift you. The soft warm wind will hug you so very gently. The chimes will guide you and the cats? Well the cats will ignore you because they are still cats after all…“

Soft Melody – Spring Sakura Celebration: bird eye views

And yes, as I suspected because of the name – Soft Melody is owned and was designed by Bambi (norahbrent) who also created the “Missing Melody” sims.

As can be seen on the overview pictures Soft Melody consists of two parts. You land inside of a building, a café and when you step out you’re in a Japanese town. The streets and walkways are decorated for the Spring Sakura Celebration. It is a lovely spot to take pictures of twon pictures. On a second glance you notice quite a lot of cats in the town (and one dog).

Impressions of Soft Melody – Spring Sakura Celebration (1) – The town

Walking up the long stairs in the center you reach a foot bridge that brings you to the other part ot Soft Melody – the gardens. You find more cherry blossom trees there, more cats also as statues and some other animals: pandas, deers, birds and rabbits – but mostly cats. I sat down at a brook and listened to the sound of it.

Impressions of Soft Melody – Spring Sakura Celebration (2) – The garden

The garden is larger than I thought and there are actually several gardens. One building contains a lot of glass frames hanging from the ceiling and other collectibles. The scenery with the selected environment (don’t forget to use shared environment!) is very fitting and I enjoyed exploring the gardens a lot. Did I mention that there are many cats?

Impressions of Soft Melody – Spring Sakura Celebration (3) – The garden

That’s it. Thank you Bambi (norahbrent) for creating Soft Melody and for sharing it publicly. I enjoyed my visit.

Landmark to Soft Melody – Spring Sakura Celebration
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Celestine/187/135/3045
Blogpost on Ad Vitam Æternam
http://advitamternam.blogspot.com/2022/04/soft-melody.html

Simploring 2021 (25) Missing Melody – June 2021

28 Jun 2021 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Exploring sims in Second Life Tags: , , , , ,

For my simploring tour on Thursday, June 3rd, I picked Missing Melody from scoop.it SL Destinations. I had visited Missing Melody before on New Year’s Eve 2018 (read here) and later in May 2019 in a total different layout (read here). The entry on scoop.it SL Destinations led to a post of Inara Pey “Reacquainting myself with a Missing Melody in Second Life“.

Missing Melody is a moderate homestead owned and designed by Bambi (NorahBrent). Inara wrote in her blogpost that “Bambi is now back and once again offering her region as both a home to her store“. I missed visiting the versions of Missing Melody that were also home of a store, the two version I saw so far had no store. Missing Melody in June 2021 is also home of Bambi (NorahBrent)’s store named “Oh Deer“.

Bambi wrote about Missing Melody in the landmark profile:
“Once Broken and Forgotten. Stuck in nostalgia. A cool wind strolls in a daydream between the trees. Leaves dance with the salty water’s waves. A place to breath fot a moment.
Photographer and Blogger friendly with a romantic touch. Everyone is welcome.”

Missing Melody consists of two islands. One is dedicated to farming and to the “Oh Deer” store, on the other island you find a nice café, a waterfall, a romantic pond and a village. You land at a zebra crossing for chicken (very cute!) on the farming island.

“Welcome to Missing Melody. Please enjoy your stay. I would warmly suggest if possible for you to hit that ultra and enjoy the sim fully. Missing Melody was built out of a lot of love and emotion. I hope you will feel it too as you stroll around.”

Impressions of Missing Melody June 2021 (1) – close to the landing point, the “Oh Deer” store and the beach

Close to the landing is a barn that is used for the “Oh Deer” store. “Oh Deer” offers original mesh rustic knick knaks, from a letter box to a vane, from a Zen garden to a golf bag. A great store to find nice decorations making your own place unique.
Right behind the store is the beach. No surprise that you can sit and enjoy the view there.

The rest of the island is occupied by large flower fields: a tulip field, a subfower field and a lavendar field. The three fields offer great backgrounds for pictures. Flowers as far as you can look. Again there are nice little details to discover and I enjoyed exploring. Over the island flies a sports aeroplane with an ad for Missing Melody.

Impressions of Missing Melody June 2021 (2) – the flower fields

Walking over a narrow bridge you get to the “Oh Deer” café. The café is full of decorations, so many little details to see. I was not alone in the café and sat down and let my mind and eyes wonder – a very romantic place to be.

Impressions of Missing Melody June 2021 (3) – “Oh Deer” café

I visited the village next. The village is quite a contrast to the rest of Missing Melody. It’s white facades and blue shutters and the blue round dome of the church makes it look like a Greece village, very Mediterrean. The houses are not furnished inside, but the outdoor decoration, the courts and cosy backyards invite to have a closer look at the details. There must have been a wedding recently as there’s a big bow of balloons and many hearts at one court close the shore. You have to be a bit carful walking around. I myself got lost when I tried to sit down (I fall through the ground).

Impressions of Missing Melody June 2021 (4) – the village

Finally I went to the waterfall and the romantic pond above it. Again a place where you can sit and enjoy or take pictures. Missing Melody is a lovely place to explore, to enjoy togetherness or just for taking pictures.

Impressions of Missing Melody June 2021 (5) – the pond, the waterfall and other views

“What is a Missing Melody? It’s that song in your head that you can’t get out but not sure how it really goes. It’s that temptation you want to have in your life so you can fight to resist. It’s that place in your heart that is always waiting to be filled.“

Thank you Bambi (NorahBrent) for creating this sim. I enjoyed my visit a lot!

Landmark to Missing Melody
https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Angel%20in%20Heaven/69/63/26
Missing Melody flickr
https://www.flickr.com/groups/ohdeercafe/pool/
marketplace link to “Oh Deer” store
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/184485
Inara Pey’s blogpost “Reacquainting myself with a Missing Melody in Second Life”
https://modemworld.me/2021/05/29/reacquainting-myself-with-a-missing-melody-in-second-life/

Simploring 2019 (59) Missing Melody – May 2019

27 May 2019 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Exploring sims in Second Life Tags: , , , ,

In January I visited Missing Melody (read Simploring 2019 (5) Missing Melody). When I saw posts and pictures about it on scoop.it SL Destinations recently I only recognized the name but not the sim itself, that has changed completely. Hence I decided to visit it again.

Missing Melody – May 2019 – overview and first impressions

Missing Melody is a moderate homestead owned by Bambi (norahbrent). The landmark description has changed as well as the whole design:
“Missing Melody. Waking up to a new dawn. Smiling at the awaking sun humming a nostalgic tune. Missing Melody is a collaboration of best friends coming together to create something new. Dedicated with love to Conni. RIP“

Impressions of Missing Melody – May 2019 (1)

In the center of Missing Melody is a row of 4 houses, a market with some stands, a cafe, some cars, a street and a promenade. Closeby is a large beach with a wooden pier that is home to a small fair. The whole setting looks quite Mediterrean. There’re 3 smaller islands. One seems to be a private home and I didn’t look inside.

Missing Melody is very picturesque and invites to stay, to take pictures, to enjoy a cafe, to have a closer look at all the details on the market, to sit and relax at the beach or to simply enjoy an hour in a little paradise.

Impressions of Missing Melody – May 2019 (2)

One of the three islands nearby is home for a gallery, Conni’s RIP gallery. Bambi writes about Conni and this gallery in her profile:
“On the hill surrounded by flowers in bloom lays a country house safely watching over to Missing Melody. Conni’s house is now a gallery dedicated in her memory. Please feel free to visit. Look at her art, read the little memories her friends and loved ones shared. You can add your own memory in the guest book. The gallery will be the only thing that will remain as is in Missing Melody.“

Impressions of Missing Melody – May 2019 (3)

Of course I visited the gallery. It is touching to read in the guest book and to see all the pictures. You can sense all the happy hours spent in Second Life. It is another way to keep the memories of this virtual world in our real life. The orginal landmark description from my first visit to Missing Melody back in January can now be found in Bambi’s profile and fits very well:
“What is a Missing Melody? It’s that song in your head that you can’t get out but not sure how it really goes. It’s that temptation you want to have in your life so you can fight to resist. It’s that place in your heart that is always waiting to be filled.“

Impressions of Conni’s RIP Gallery at Missing Melody

Missing Melody did conjure a smile on my face. I enjoyed my visit and I might visit again, just to enjoy. Thank you Bambi for creating this new sim and sharing it with the public.

Landmark to Missing Melody
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Aftershock/87/128/33
Direct Landmark to Conni’s RIP gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Aftershock/186/169/23
Flickr page for Missing melody
https://www.flickr.com/groups/ohdeercafe/pool/

Simploring 2019 (5) Missing Melody

11 Jan 2019 1 Comment

by diomitamaurer in Exploring sims in Second Life Tags: , , , ,

For my last simploring tour in 2018 on New Year’s Eve afternoon I picked Missing Melody from scoop.it SL Destinations. There have been already several publications about this sim on various blogs. It seems to change with the season and is all winterly now. Missing Melody is a homestead, rated moderate. It is owned and created by Bambi (norahbrent).

Missing Melody Overview

Bambi writes about her sim in the landmark’s description:
“Missing Melody. Chime to an old winter song. A white blanket of snow is wrapping Missing Melody in a quiet soothing and soft cool silk. A collaboration of best friends coming together to create something new. Enjoy! xx“

I looked up Bambi (norahbrent)’s profile and there Bambi wrote why she named her sim Missing Melody:
“What is a Missing Melody? It’s that song in your head that you can’t get out but not sure how it really goes. It’s that temptation you want to have in your life so you can fight to resist. It’s that place in your heart that is always waiting to be filled. It’s that little wicked smile when a naughty thought crosses your mind.“

Impressions of Missing Melody (1) – Landing point and Fountain island

Missing Melody is another lovely sim decorcated for the season and there’s a lot to explore and discover. Missing Melody also provides spots to sit and enjoy as well as some fun activities. I went from the Landing point along the road over the big covered bridge to the fountain. Along the way is a board where you can rezz a sleigh. It works, yet a hill is missing :-). At the end of the covered bridge are snowballs that you can use for a snowball fight. Returning from the fountain I had a look at the old railroad engine which is just a museum object, but somehow these engines have something intriguing, don’t they?

Impressions of Missing Melody (2) – Grasslands with sheep/ Old Railroad engine / Farm

I explored the farm with the paddock and went over the smaller covered bridge to the ice skating and to the Christmas gazebo. At the ice skating is a board where you can get skaters. I really liked the Christmas gazebo with it’s Christmas tree. It provides some lovely animations even for one person alone. You should try it out.

Impressions of Missing Melody (3) – Ice skating and Christmas tree gazebo

Then I went to the ruins. This might be the rests of a bigger church. At the place you’d expect the altar is a piano. Some ice sculptures are rezzed to decorate the place with is a great spot to dance. Some birds like this place, hence you can also watch them.

Impressions of Missing Melody (4) – The ruins

Following the shore I came to Santa’s house. A lot of small animals have found home here in the snow and a deer is searching grass in front of the house. The chimney is smoking and the snow on the roof is about to slide down due to the warmth. Behind the house is a nice scene with 2 penguins and a dog. You can even lay down into the snow to watch the three – cute!

Impressions of Missing Melody (5) – at Santa’s house

On my way returning to the landingpoint I found a desperate Santa who had just had a crash with his sleigh. The deers were running around confused. What a scene! What a wide smile it conjured on my face! Next to the landing point is another house which is used as an atelier.

Impressions of Missing Melody (6) – Santa with his crashed sleigh / Atelier

Missing Melody is a very picturesque sim offering a lot for photgraphers like me. It also offers a lot of fun and it is a place to dream about, peaceful and romantic, a place you wanna be, idyllic world. And when I can’t get a melody out of my head, I might remember this place. Just lovely. I did enjoy my visit a lot.
Thank you Bambi (norahbrent) for providing your place with the public.

Landmark to Missing Melody
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Aftershock/66/118/23