How Do We All Remember?

It's part of all of our cultures. Remembering those who have finished this life. Each culture has a way of remembering. In Second Life, we meet new friends and we spend amazing amounts of time with them. Some of our SL friends become as close as family to us. Sadly, sometimes we loose them. How do we mourn them, how do we remember them. How does our Real World culture influence how and what we want to do.
Another question. Can we mourn our real world losses in SL, and find healing? Can we find a place to memorialize our real life loved ones in this virtual world and then find comfort in that?
Your quest is to find the place. I will not be giving you a slurl or landmark. I will give you a clue. Look for the garden where you can find remembrance. When you find this lovely place, spend some quiet time. Read the memorials. Enjoy the serenity of the place.

Jezzie McCellan


PS if you get stuck, check out my picks

Maneki Neko

Here's a question for Erasmus, who I heard is lurking on the blog, and who is an authority on cats.

Usually the Japanese lucky 'neko' has a raised paw - what does it signify?

Why doesn't this one have a raised paw?

Ophrys

Octoberville - the Halloween hunt

Octoberville was an amazing place to visit, with lots of really interesting details. When I first arrived, I did indeed have to wait for the world to rezz around me. I started to follow the railway line around the sim. As I was on a bit of a mission, I didn't have time to explore the haunted house, but I did find the upside down house, the train that managed to crash, and the very strange outside loos. I was rather disappointed there wasn't an amusing animation to accompany them. I joined forces with Bubbly to search for our goal, but Octoberville was so popular and SL was having an off-day, and it was just too hard to move. It was a fun place to visit though, I loved the houses most of all think.

Halloween is indeed a huge event in SL, with pumpkins at every turn, special pumpkin coloured clothing, freebies and other Halloween specials. Jezzie and I had fun decorating the castle with Halloween things, and growing giant pumpkins. These grew so much that they were actually poking out the walls. I loved the bats I found though at Animania, I think they'll be a permanent fixture.

Halloween isn't something that I bother about that much in RL, but it is such a fun festival in SL. I really enjoyed all Halloween atmosphere immensely, and it must have rubbed off when in RL. On the way home from work I met a small boy who was dressed as a pirate, he was busy giving sweets away to passers-by with his giantess of a mum. A very cute lad, and he made me appreciate the festival that day. Far too often, I've encountered teenagers whose prime motivation has been to use Halloween as an opportunity for revenue generation.

Unfortunately Octoberville is now gone and to be replaced by Christmasville. Sorry Jezz, I didn't manage to finish your quest, though I tried quite a few times. :(

Weekend walks and a children's story

I couldn't resist adding this post after my visit there this afternoon with 2 friends. I spent a lovely hour or so wandering with Aeslynn, talking about walks in the woods as children and sharing memories of favourite places and activities. We talked about families too. This sim is really beautiful, somewhere you can contemplate the view and think about the world in general. I recommend a visit to look at the trees, plants, interesting features and the wonderful views. We had a wonderful time contemplating the scenery and later discovered some volcanic rocks and a beautiful icey landscape. Wandering through the snow, we came across and iced up volcanic crater. It was too good an opportunity to miss, and we so put on our skates. It was the first time either of us had skated, and we'd had the skates since last winter. I really recommend it!

So please go and visit this sim. There are 2 things you can go and find here. One of them could be a place for Pooh Sticks as mentioned by AA Milne in Winnie the Pooh. If you're not familiar with Pooh Sticks then a search in Google should give you the answer.

Around the woodland you'll see some beautiful lights that sparkle in the undergrowth. These aren't the rainbows or sunbeams, but coloured dots that appear randomly in different places. Ghostly lights that are seen flickering at night. (Not the Northern Lights) Post me your pictures of them. :) Find the vendor for them, and the notecard should tell you about the mythology that surrounds them. Once you find their name you should be able to find out more about these ghostly lights on the web. I'd love to know what you find out about them, and whether a similar idea is part of your culture. Have you ever seen them?

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Straylight/197/14/38

Annie

Task 1 an SL search

A majestic sight for a wonderful building not often seen in my country anymore though there used to be thousands.....nowadays yuppies buy them to make into homes and denude them of their beautiful sails.... an abonimation on their houses i say !!



Had great fun in New Denmark finding the tourist place and looking through the brochure's till i found your ELK!!!
What sweet animals they are and do indeed typify the whole scandinavian culture for me too.

British Gardening Culture

Phew.. after quite a search I found these little rascals hiding under the potting bench....and i beg to differ ...trolls indeed! What an insult to those dear little creatures who so diligently guard our gardens.

Gnomes are reputedly from scandinavian descent , though most cultures have their equivelant in one form or another. The first known reference to the word Gnome is attributed to Paracelsus the Swiss alchemist who listed them as elementals.

The first garden gnomes were thought until quite recently to be Germanic in production. it was however an erroneous assumption as researchers now believe this honour is Polands.

Their introduction to England was in 1847 by Sir Charles Isham for his gardens at Lamport Hall Northamptonshire, where surprisingly one of the original batch(known as Lampy) still survives,and is insured for a mind boggling million pounds.

Gnomes are not only found in Europe but in every corner of the globe from Iceland in the northern hemisphere to Australia in the southern hemisphere and all points in between.Every country has their own legends for instance in Australia it is believed that the gnomes there are as good at cricket as they are at tending gardens.

One thing though that is found in all cultures is the belief that gnomes are the guardian and nurturers of the garden and although they have fallen foul of the garden fashionista's in recent years long may they continue to be so.

Ophrys post and my adventure to Wonderful Denmark

Wonderful Denmark

I arrived in Wonderful Denmark and promptly landed on someone's head. After a brief encounter with a bench, I managed to fly up into the air to get a view of the landscape. I flew across around quite a few times to get an overall impresssion of the place, and then again to start to take in details. There's a lovely little Danish town beneath you, farm animals such as horses and cows. I landed next to the cows and interestingly they were brown and not the Fresian or Jerseys you might see here. Maybe even Highland cattle on wilder regions. I started to get really interested in the landscape, and began to appreciate the features that were different to the UK. I was set on finding an elk. No elks to be found, anywhere. :(

Somewhat bemused, I went back to the blog entry and discovered that I was looking for an inanimate object rather than an animate. So, providing someone hadn't put a giant stuffed elk on the landscape, the answer wasn't going to be that. Hmmmm, so what is it?

I flew around again, and again. Finally I spotted a very large structure on the hill and though, "Aha! Maybe that is my familiar giant." So my choice is also a windmill, now sadly missing from much of the UK landscape. (Please note that windmills are also green technology) The thought that triggered my choice of windmill was the flat landscape and the rural theme, so the connection to windmill counties such as Norfolk.

I remembered a very lovely drive I made with a friend a few years ago across the fields of East Yorkshire. We stopped and looked at the (sailess) old windmill on a bright sunny day. This lovely ancient white structure was one of the last of its kind in the area. We stood and pondered for some time, before driving through the country lanes to our destination.

British Gardening Culture

Hi
I found them in a corner: two illustrious gnomes.



In British gardens, gnomes seem to me to be the slightly latter day equivalent of the current fad for decking- a kind of garden status symbol to make your garden the envy of your neighbours. They first appeared in the 1840s in England apparently.

The French typically use garden gnomes to make a political statement:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1437439.stm

Garden gnomes (any different from trolls?) were documented by Swedes back in the 1500s, and are said to have orginated in Scandanavia.

Wonder whether they've travelled as far south as Spain and Italy or are they only a northern European phenomenon? If they can be found in the Spanish or Italian garden - do they dress differently and wear sunhats instead of the long red ones?

Ophrys

My answers to the Bubbly's quest

I would have been an entirely hopeless hobbit as I managed to get lost as usual. I just have no sense of direction whatsoever. So I found the sign, see left, and if I remember Mr Underhill met Strider at the pub. I don't remember the name of the landlord though, I've always been to scared of the ringwraiths to pay attention.

Lord of the Rings (LOTR) is a book that is part of my childhood, too. I think I read the entire series in a week when I was 12. For whatever 'flaws' the books have, they still manage to speak to people across the generations and throughout their lives. As a child, these were magic tales that I could share with my dad. Something, like Dr Who, that was a collective thing like old fashioned storytelling.

As adults you see different things, I can see that the books are written about the death of the old world at the end of WWI, when the old social structures were destroyed and the upper classes lost their dominance. They also deal with the interim period between the wars, and the rebuilding of new social structures, the shift of power to new hands, and eventually the final battles against evil. Then as the old Elvish and wizard ways slip away, the world is given to men and women to take care of. The future might be uncertain, but at least it is and end to the death and destruction. Good has triumphed over evil.

The books are also about companionship and the personal qualities that strong personal relationships feature. Apparently, Tolkein was one of 4 friends before the First World War, they were inseparable. They were all sent to fight in the trenches and only Tolkein came back. The books are also about them.

Very sad, moving, thought-provoking books, and like all good books ones that you learn from.
Personally, I'm grateful to Tolkein for his books, he gave not only England a mythology that we have lost, but the world.

Annie

This place is a fictional place that captured my imagination the first time I read this story when I was young, and still now holds me in its spell.

Voted the best book of the 20th century this trilogy was made into a wonderful film by Peter Jackson.

To find this place you have to search for it and TP from the search engine as the owner of the sim doesn't allow lm's to be created.

If you know where the House of Elrond is located you will soon find this location , from there fly round till you find the place where the hobbits broke their journey and met a very interesting companion.

Take a picture of the sign outside this place.

What was the name of the stranger they met here?
Who is the owner of this establishment?
Under what name was Frodo travelling?

Happy hunting

Tis the Season

This month we celebrate a great holiday. All across Second Life we see evidence of the celebrations. It is time for us to join in this traditional cultural event.

It is important that you dress appropriately for your quest, so suit up in the seasons apparel of your choosing.

When you arrive to your destination (after giving yourself time to rez), you will need to read the sign that will guide you on your journey. The locals are said to be quite mad and will be most interesting to converse with so bring back stories of your travels.

You may want to complete the entire treat that this place offers, but for this quest you must provide a photo of a cherub or the Master. The photo should be posted here along with the story of your quest. Extra credit goes to anyone who completes the Hunt!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/PixelTrix/159/107/22

British gardening culture

I thought I'd add a fun object for you all.

These two little objects are often found in British gardens, particularly in the suburbs, and a very representative of British gardening culture. They have become less popular in recent years, because they are widely seen as being in poor taste.

• However, do you think these objects originate in the UK?
• Have you seen them in other countries or heard stories about them?
• Do you think that there might be common stories told about these objects?

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Holymoly/94/86/25

MissAnnie

An ancient quest

You are looking for somewhere that was an essential part of ancient Roman culture. You may already be aware of the cultural significance of this social meeting which has been the setting of many film scenes. This soft object is often found where there is a water, and they have been in constant use from ancient times to the present day. My questions for this location are:

What kinds of activity do you think took place here?
What advantages do you think the advantages of this ancient Roman place might be?
How do modern facilities impact this culture?

http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA/215/25/22

If you need a hint you can find a notecard that will help you inside the location.

MissAnnie

Task 1: A sl quest

Here's a sl quest for you:

I spent several years of my life living in Scandinavia and revisited for eight successive summer holidays after I left. There are some things that are very symbolic and meaningful for me there. At this SLURL you should find a couple of them – one animate and one inanimate.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Wonderful%20Denmark/133/138/22


1. For the animate one - go to the slurl and visit the Djursland shop on the east side of the main square. In the shop select the brochure with the picture of the polar bear on the front . ‘Dyreparken’ on the linked webpage should lead you to the animal that for me represents all things Scandinavian. It’s one of my all time favourite animals – a reserved creature with a big nose. You might know of a location where you can take a snapshot of one in sl – I don’t; but do get me a snapshot if you can find one.

2. For the inanimate one – head out west from the main square to the edge of the town -best to fly as it's a long walk- and see one of the familiar giants of the Scandinavian landscape: sometimes solitary, sometimes in pairs and sometimes in groups. Post me a snapshot?

Ophrys Fleury