MariusMR

That second photo is a winner! Looking very good!

I am an ISTJ, although I am sometimes an ESTJ.

Fortunately our Constitutional Court, in 1995, ruled that the death penalty is a violation of the Right to Life, something that the Apartheid government indiscriminately and arbitrarily took away, and subsequently abolished the death penalty as unconstitutional.

  Thank you!     Thank you very much James! I really appreciate and value your comments and feedback! Growing it all is a long, and sometimes frustrating, but rewarding and interesting venture. The results are not always as you planned, but often surprises - in a good way!   Thanks for stopping by!     Thank you! I am going for an English / North Eastern US / South African mix, I guess. Maybe because that's what I know and like! :P   I hope to see you around these parts again soon! ;)     Thank you :)     Thanks! The shores are quite a challenge for me, mainly because I'm not all that good, experienced or patient for extensive MMPs that yield amazing results! But, I'm getting the hang of it, I think ;)     Thank you very much again! And thanks for stopping by again! Always good to see your feedback and comments! :)     Thank you! Much appreciated! :)

When we left Bradley earlier a group of well-to-do busybodies had created the Society for the Restoration and Preservation of Bradley to bring back some of the town's old world charm. As the ringleader of the Society soon discovered, it's not as easy as snapping your fingers and remodelling and entire town. Well, that's not entirely true. It does help to have friends in high places, or in the case of Alberta Ross, to be married to one. Mrs Ross - affectionately (or rather, behind her back) known as "The Albatross" - is married to a the Congressman representing the District which includes Bradley. The Albatross got her nickname because crossing paths (or swords) with her could be good luck, a burden, or a curse, depending on which way the wind blows or her whims go. Mrs Ross was quite a burden, and she persisted until she got what she wanted, and in this case, it was in with the old, and out with the new. The dedication, fierce commitment and undying passion with which Mrs Ross tackled this task partly had to do with her rather conservative outlook on life, but was more because from where she was living in Prestondale, the lights, noise, and sometimes smells, of Chuck-e-Cheese and Pizza Hut (not to mention the unsavoury characters it came packaged with), offended her sensibilities. Here is the leafy (and exclusive) suburb of Prestondale, bordered to the west by Bradley High and the northern end of Strand Street, and with Newtown to the east (but more about that later). Before we get sidetracked, let's have a quick look at the transformation of the historic old town of Bradley, located on Bradley Square on the intersection of Main and Strand Streets. Approaching from The Bay in the south and passing through the suburb of Bayview, I'm sure you'll agree that the transformation is quite remarkable: Click for original (1360 x 3991px) The efforts - and connections - of Mrs Ross clearly paid off, and with the firm backing (and money) of the Bradley Chamber of Commerce, and a little help from above (more precisely, the backing of the Anglican Church), the face of Bradley Square and the Waterfront changed dramatically. First on the agenda was the return of the Anglican Church of St George on Main, opposite the St George's Post Office. The church, along with surrounding buildings, burned down a few decades ago and was never rebuilt due to the church's lack of funds. The piece of land was subsequently bought by the aforementioned fast food establishments. But Mrs Ross soon had her way (as is usually the case) and the Church was back in all its glory! Click for original The old St George's Mall running south from the Church and east of Bradley Square was also reestablished. This increased access to Regency Park to the East, which was subsequently also renovated and expanded: Click for original The Albatross delighted in visiting her new old Church in the evenings with her husband and dining in the Square afterwards. Click for original And it's not difficult to see why, Regency Park and the new Old Bradley Square was really something magical at night: Click for original The restoration project could not survive as a charity alone, and it quickly turned into a full scale development project that saw the sleepy hollow turn into a viable and vibrant seaside resort town with high end retail outlets and fine dining. This was quite apparent during the day, as this aerial view of Bradley Square and Regency Park shows: Click for original The new Old Bradley Square boasted the legendary Christmas Market from Mrs Ross's childhood days, and quaint corner shops and pubs added to the general hustle and bustle of the heart of Bradley. Click for original The Christmas Market was a popular attraction during the festive season and families spent many a day, and many a night, frequenting the stalls, halls and malls of Bradley Square. Click for original Malls? Yes, beyond the inexplicable urge to rhyme, there is in fact a Bradley Square Mall. If you were wondering what happened to the fast food joints, this will answer that question too. You see, they went underground. Literally. Many a staircase on and around the Square grant access to the subterranean wonders that lurk below ground, including, but not limited to, the (fast) food court and parking. The Society thought of everything from corporate buy in to heavenly blessing. Well, everything except parking. One can forgive this minor oversight given that the members of this Society never had to worry about it themselves. That is one of the many conviences that comes with being driven around. Fortunately, the underground parking proposal also provided an opportunity for the capitalist class to rub even more coins together and the underground mall and fast food court was born. Here we see one of the two entrances to the parking and the many staircases in the area: Click for original Here we also see that the good will and financial backing of big business came at a cost: they needed modern office space, and Mrs Ross's desire for a blast to the past had to be slightly adjusted to accommodate money a diverse set of clientèle. There was also a visible impact on the Bradley Beach and Waterfront, beyond simply popularising it as a recreation destination. Click for original Bradley Beach soon became a popular surfing destination and this attracted all the beautiful people. Click for original Bradley Beach and Waterfront is ideally located along Strand Street a stone's throw from Bradley Square and easily accessible via the Bradley Halt Railway Station and Bus Stop. Click for original And for those who preferred the quieter life, there was also the Strand Street Market, a popular Sunday morning destination with locals and visitors alike. Click for original We finally leave Bradley again heading south over Bayview from Bradley Square and Regency Park, back the way we came. Click for original size (1366 x 2052px) Next time our journey takes us north and north west of Bradley, we're we'll discover the broader ramifications of The Albatross and her path of destruction. Okay, it's not as dramatic as it sounds, but bear with me! ________________________________ Replies to comments at the previous entry. Thanks for reading! Until next time! M

What a Black Beauty!

  Thank you! I hope the new update will shed further light on this "interesting" mix!     Thank you very much! And thanks for stopping by!     I hope you like the new instalment of the story too! Thank you!     Thanks!     And you got it! New update is hot off the presses! Thanks for the comment!

Today we visit Bradley, where Europeans first came ashore in this uncharted territory. The inhabitants, lacking in creativity after months at sea, wanted to call the new settlement "Landing" because, well, it was the site of their landing. However, after a full day's worth of discussion the residents of the little coastal hamlet settled on Bradley, for two reasons: first, because the meaning of Bradley - "broad clearing" in Old English - was deemed fitting; but also because village elder who took charge of the affairs of the settlement hailed from Bradley, Lincolnshire. Thus, it was settled, and this is what would eventually become what is now known as Old Town in Bradley: Click for original full size. The scene above features the once bustling port of Bradley on Beach Road, which has since been replaced by far bigger and more modern facilities elsewhere in the region and now, alongside the beautiful beaches, fulfils a largely recreational purpose. Curving out and up from Beach Road is Main Street, lined by the Bradley Town Hall, the St. George Post Office, the local primary school, district hospital and the Bradley Halt (which features the railway station and bus stop): ​Click for original full size. Main Street viewed from this direction features the St George's Post Office complex (top left) and the Bradley Town Hall (off centre) on the Bradley Square along Strand Street. ​Click for original full size. Running north-south from Main Street, and parallel with the beach, is Strand Street, which features a number of historic residential and commercial row houses. Some of these have been demolished to make way for more modern incarnations, but recent developments in the sleepy town have brought a grinding halt to that... but more about that later... ​Click for original full size. A closer look at the historic buildings lining Strand Street, starting with the six properties occupied by the Royal Strand Hotel on the far left, followed by more recent commercial developments to its right. ​Click for original full size. These more contemporary commercial properties were, initially, hardly contentious and were welcomed by townsfolk as a sign of renewed interest in the future of Bradley. Little did they know that within a few years the attention of more colourful investors would be focused on the once tranquil bedroom community, bringing with them Pizza Hut, Chuck-e-Cheese and the cultural aspects accompanying that lifestyle. These colourful establishments quickly set up shop on Main Road next to the District Hospital and across the road from the Post Office. Townsfolk were surprised when, what they understood would be "commercial establishments serving food", turned out this colourful a scar on their once historic neighbourhood. Something had to be done, and so the Society for the Restoration and Preservation of Bradley was formed by a group of local busybodies well-to-do citizens... ________________________________ Replies to comments at the previous entry. Thanks for reading! Until next time! M

Amazing!

Stockholm. Zambia.

I have never been to Melbourne, but what I see in this thread really makes me want to visit! Also, are you considering doing the Melboure Cricket Ground (that was featured in SC3K)?

Llamas. Botswana.

Eastern Orthodoxy. Lesotho.

I'm @MariusMR

  Thanks for the link! Very useful indeed!    The cultural undertones, if you will, of the region as a whole is historically European (British, French, Dutch, German). The main themes will be around Freedom, Equality and Dignity, and this will only really become apparent as the CJ progresses and the story unfolds (the twists and turns of which even I am not yet aware!)       Hewitt it is! Thanks! And thanks for commenting!       Interesting and unconventional, I like it! Thanks!

I have decided to plunge into SC4 CJ-ing again and, while this is likely to be slow in its development and initially rough around the edges, now is as good a time as any to start showcasing the progress! The CJ will be a 'realistic', natural growth project (i.e. no RCI ploppables other than earned rewards) on a modified version of the NHP Jacksonville Metro map (original available ) by blade2k5. The region is 10 x 10 large tiles in size. I use the following terrain and tree controller mods: a modified version of CP's Meadowshire Terrain Mod (original here; SC4D LEX); the original version of the SHK Peg Brigantine HD watermod (); the HD riverside beachmod by Marsh (); dogfight's Dark Limestone Rock Mod () and The seasonal god mode tree controller by Vortext (SC4D LEX here). The development of the region is progressing quite well, but I'm a little stuck on names and am accordingly putting out a 'call for proposals'! I'd really appreciate your input in this regard as I'm a little lacking in the creativity department when it comes to naming things (other than dogs, it would seem). In particular, if you can come up with and submit names for the ten islands in the main river on this map (click for larger resolution): The context within which they appear are depicted below (click for larger resolution): They lie in the river delta area and will mostly remain undeveloped conservation / preservation areas. I'd also appreciate it if you'd submit proposals for the water features A - H (rivers, bays, inlets, lagoons, etc.) A: The main river B: A minor tributary C: A lagoon / bay D: A bay (and likely location of a naval base) E: A minor tributary F: A minor tributary G: A bay (and likely location for the main harbour / port) H: A minor tributary with a lagoon I look forward to your input / proposals and to sharing this journey with you all! Thanks for reading! M

Pirates of the Caribbean. Namibia.

Love the new addition to the STEX! Thanks!

Looks like you're off to a good - and interesting - start! Would love to see where this is going! 

Yep! The Administrative Capital of the Republic! We're steaming through autumn towards winter, but the chill (by our standards) really set in this week already! Although, compared to Canada, our winter's are sub-tropical! More info here -> Click! The record low, as you see above, was -6, but for those of us used to sunny South African winters and its clear skies, anything below 10 is freezing!

Abkhazia Zimbabwe.

Today Pretoria reached a high of 21 degrees Celsius and a low of 10 degrees Celsius. It's going up to 23 tomorrow, 25 on Saturday, but then back to 24 for the rest of the week ahead. *sigh*

Wow! This is a beauty!