You Can Still Smell the Jasmine

Written by Eva Bellambi
Photographs by Wildstar Beaumont

And the night-blooming flowers open,
open in the same hour I remember those I love.
In the middle of the viburnums
the twilight butterflies have appeared.

After a while all noise will quiet.
There, only a house is whispering.
Nests sleep under wings,
like eyes under eyelashes.

Open goblets exhale
the perfume of strawberries.
A light shines there in the room,
grass sprouts over the graves.

A late bee buzzes at the hive
finding all the cells taken.
The hen runs through the sky’s blue
yard to the chirping of stars.

The whole night exhales
a scent that disappears in the wind.
A light ascends the stairs;
it shines on the second floor: goes out.

And then dawn: the petals close
a little crumpled. Something soft
and secret is brooding in an urn,
some new happiness I can’t understand yet.

Perhaps these words written so long ago by Giovanni Pascoli (1855 – 1912) begin to illustrate the sensation of calm that one feels upon entering the simpler time still found in the Isles of Fatima.

Prim Perfect first brought news of these wonderful sims in the summer issue of 2008.  At the time that Saffia Widdershins reported on the Isles, there were 26 sims.  I am pleased to report that 20 yet remain today.  Happily the stunning sims continue to bring the visitor back to the more peaceful feelings of the countryside and towns of the Victorian and Edwardian eras.  Here beauty, romance, and nature are emphasized.

Fatima Ur and Incanus Merlin remain the owners and custodians of this beautiful region.  In their own words (via Second Life profile), the husband and wife team strive to help their guests and residents find a ‘peaceful, calm, and beautiful way of village life in a time when things were less hurried [and] less complicated. Time to connect with and accept the natural rhythms of the world around us.’

As I symbolically retraced Saffia’s steps exploring the sims for this anniversary post, I found that many of the key features of the Isles remain, while other things have changed.  Evolution is the natural way of things after all.  By and large the sims are full of gardens and are green and lush.  I was filled with joy with each discovery of a beach, or park, or pavilion which seemed to have been placed publicly for the joy of we travelers who find our way there.

The vast majority of the sims were open for exploration.  Some owners, however, enjoy their privacy and provided warnings to this effect.  Thankfully, one may even find peace and pleasure within the beauty of those places even if only from a distance.

For the sailor or the lover of shorelines, the vast amounts of water in the Isles will provide recreation, adventure, or areas for relaxation as the water either laps against the hull of one’s vessel or the gentle slope or rocks of the beach.

By chance, I found a blanket spread out and covered in pillows along a stretch of rocky shore one evening.  It was the perfect place to relax from the tensions of the day as the music of the water lulled my senses.  I felt my heartbeat slow, my mind clear, and the peace and calm that the owners and residents of the Isles of Fatima prize so highly.

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The Fatimas are operated by MerlinUr Estates, include the full isles of Fatimas Love, Fatimas Desire, Fatimas Beauty and Fatimas Art; and the homesteads of  Fatimas  Romance, Fatimas Dream, Fatimas Smile, Fatimas Blush, Fatimas Cherished, Fatimas Spirit, Fatimas Grace, Fatimas Glory, Fatimas Wonder, Fatimas Blessing, Fatimas Bliss,  Fatimas Victoriana, Fatimas Peace among others.