Hot, lazy days, and introducing Fanny

Hot lazy me, too, lately. So excuses for the long post but I need to catch up a little!

At Vent du Sud we're gearing up for the end of summer. A whole lot of new, fun things to do and see are in the works, but these last few days I've been enjoying the sun and the peace both in RL and SL.

So here's an idea: come and spend a moment relaxing with us and enjoy a few things that make Vent du Sud so special - and spend absolutely nothing... or go mad and spend 1L on a fun pedal boat ride.

- The pedalo, or pedal boat (from the dock, 30 minutes for 1L)

- Swimming (the pool, or from the dock or the rocks - free)

- The lighthouse for those romantic moments à deux (free)

- Specials and freebies. Find them all over the sim. And just 1L in the tip jar basket makes a gift-wrapped aquarium appear. Or some pretty candles and stuff at tiny prices on the market stand

- A great free outfit at Rett Gentil's place

... and, of course, dance as the sun sets to great music, plus the soft sounds of waves and cigales. Ah, summer in the south!

And last but BY NO MEANS LEAST, grab a pastis (aniseed alcohol) and have a round of pétanque (French bowling). And before I go any further, Fanny is a) a fairly common French name, and b) tradition says if you lose by 13-0, you get to kiss her... er... cheek. Hence the poster. These "Fanny" boards are part of any self-respecting "boulodrome". Hmmm. This is France, as I'm often reminded, as I live there.

See, Geek Back has been weaving scripting magic again. He's developed the entire system (PING-PONG, Ari? Oh please. This is France. We can do better). So he did.

Ours gives out free HUDs, or you can buy the system (the whole system is just 350L including the bowls, the HUDs free for your friends, the pitch, and the scoreboard) to use at your own place, and earn 20%

commission if you sell it to others (networked system which is very clever and waaaay beyond my limited grasp of scripting).

Oh, and you get nice shiny... er... balls. It's right by the square. Just look for the oh-so-subtle poster here, next to the square.

It's easy, it's clever, and most of all it's a whole lot of fun although there's a little skill involved to get closest to the Jack ball (the 'little pig') - although obviously, that's all calculated by the system so no cheating! All the instructions are included with the (free) HUD.

Believe me, if I'm looking for the guys at Vent du Sud, they're usually over there. So come try it!

Scripting magic and aquariums and pedalos

Bliss, no? Well, better than the massive pile of RL ironing that is glaring at me.

So, what better way to explore a place than by a pedal boat, or pedalo? (Not sure of the best-known English word, but I love the things in RL too).

We have a rezzer beside the swimming area which gives you your very own boat, and you can play happily - using the arrow keys - for half an hour, and for the massive investment of 1L. It takes passengers too (or be big spenders, rezz two and have a race!)

I did actually get it through the stone arch, too. Eventually. My piloting skills are a bit like my photography skills (yes, I know, I have a headless aquarium below).

As I've said before, scripters weave magic. Scripts and me are worse - far worse - than SL photography and me. But having a scripter as a friend is a great, great thing.

For instance, I suggested to Geek (Back), who made the pedalo, that we needed a tip jar with a difference. A few minutes later, we had one.

So here's how it works. You pay into it (even 1L), and a nicely gift-wrapped parcel appears for you to take.

We're going to change the contents regularly, but right now it has a superb aquarium, complete with fish (well... yeah), working spotlights, etc. It's stunning. And also Geek's work.

So what are you waiting for? Head on over to

Vent du Sud and check it out. Not your average dollarbie by far (but you're welcome to pay more...!)

This Sunday, go dance, swim (I've actually fixed it so you don't sink like a stone, go me!), pedal around, shop for clothes and decor, and have a romantic tête à tête in our lighthouse (put the world on 'night' - it looks amazing).

(Buy your own lighthouse too - never miss a quick plug, Ari).

And if you don't want to spend a single Linden, that's fine too. Lots of places to sit in the sun and chat, or have a peaceful slow on the Intan-enabled square.

If you catch any of us around - Ariadne Korda (me), Geek Back, Menthal Oh, Rett Gentil, and Alain Papp are your friendly creators - come and say hi. Tell us about anything special and different you'd like us to make for you (clothes, decor, scripts, buildings, things that move around, whatever).

Agade Lefavre (Geek's lovely ladyfriend), Gradite Questi and Yonder Schumann (our friends and residents) are often there too, and always happy to meet visitors and chat (English, French or both).

Oh dear I have bracket disease.

Grab the freebies and dollarbies while you're at it, but we tend to thrust gifts on unsuspecting visitors too. LOOK - whole paragraph without brackets.

And remember - for your scripting (OK and building and just about anything else), go to Geek. That has a rather good ring to it, huh? Check out his curtains / drapes, btw. They're superb. He does a rather nice line in designing hot air balloon tours too, complete with the balloon and commentaries included. For silly prices or just in return for setting up a vendor.

Must go take a picture of a headless balloon some time. Much more fun than ironing.

See you soon at Vent du Sud

PS: Next in line - Rett Gentil's original creations - classy clothes made by a great lady. I need to wrestle a few pictures out of her. Probably safer than taking my own.