#Melinda Bradstreet-Fyfe

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“We’re….we’re not going to be home for another three days,” says Georgina. “Till Wednesday night, as a matter of fact.” She can’t keep the excitement from her voice, and gives a high-pitched giggle when she hears Melinda’s quick intake of breath on the other end of the line.

“So where are you?” repeats Melinda, the words laced with a breathy trill of anticipation.

“Isla Paradiso,” says Georgina.

“Oh my goodness!” says Melinda. “You’re not-“

“Yes, we are! We decided to elope!” says Georgina. “I’m so sorry that you won’t be able to attend our wedding, Melinda, but as soon as Mother got involved…well, everything just became too much. We just decided yesterday to elope and we caught the first available flight here at 5.30 this morning. Absolutely nobody knows we’re here. The children are staying with Pat so that worked out well, even though I feel a bit guilty because Philippa really wanted to be a bridesmaid but…who knows, maybe Pat will get married again and she can be bridesmaid at his wedding, right?”

“You should not feel guilty about anything, Georgie!” says Melinda. “Your wedding day is all about you and Vinnie! Nobody else!”

“Please don’t breathe a word of this to anybody,” says Georgina. “I’m going to tell Mother as soon as we get back home, but in the meantime we just want to relax and enjoy ourselves with no stress or drama and have a little mini-honeymoon….this place really is a paradise, Melinda! We’re going to go to the Town Hall tomorrow as soon as it opens and get a marriage licence and then we’re going to find a celebrant to marry us, hopefully tomorrow as well. I can’t wait to be Vinnie’s wife! Isn’t it amazing?”

“It is amazing, and I’m so, so happy for you,” says Melinda. “And of course you can trust me to keep it a secret! Wild Appaloosan horses couldn’t drag it out of me!" She gives a throaty laugh. "Or a wild Appaloosan Bunty, for that matter!"

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Six hours after speaking to Georgina, Melinda is strolling down Appaloosa’s Main Street hand-in-hand with her husband Hector. They are looking for somewhere to enjoy a quiet drink after a lobster dinner at The Codfather, the township’s only seafood restaurant, but being after 9 pm on a Sunday night not many places are open. One place which still seems to be bustling is the Little Corsican Bistro, the footpath bathed in the flickering golden light cast by its candle-lit tables, the air humming with animated conversations and the cheerful clinks of cutlery and glassware. As their footsteps steer them in the bistro's direction Melinda is dismayed to see Bunty Goddard and her husband Ian walking out the front door! It is too late to run- Bunty has seen them.

“Melinda!” she calls out, waving energetically. “Melinda!"

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“Hello, Bunty,” says Melinda. Hector is a keen horseman and knows Ian quite well from his equestrian circles; within moments they are deep in conversation about the Show Jumping World Cup which is scheduled to be held next weekend at the Equestrian Centre. Melinda casts a wistful glance in her husband’s direction; she would like to be included in the horsey conversation too! But instead Bunty has cornered her and is gushing about her outfit and asking her where she and Hector have been tonight.

“We had a very nice dinner at The Codfather,” says Melinda, with all the graciousness she can muster. ”And now we’re on our way home.”

“Oh, I just adore the Codfather!” says Bunty. “Actually, we still haven’t decided on a caterer for Georgina’s wedding. Do you know if the Codfather offer a catering service?”

Melinda slowly blinks, staring into Bunty’s heavily made up face. Bunty smiles at her with small gleaming teeth.

“I don’t, I’m afraid,” Melinda says. “You might have to ring them up and ask them.”

“I’ll tell Sophie to do it first thing tomorrow,” says Bunty.

“Sophie?” says Melinda. “Who’s Sophie?”

“Sophie Withers,” says Bunty. “You must have heard of Sophie, she’s the most sought- after wedding planner in the entire district! Georgina and Vincent are so thrilled to be working with her, she has the most incredible ideas! Of course we won’t sparing any expense. Only the best for the happy couple!”

“Indeed,” says Melinda, trying to suppress the bubble of mirth expanding in her chest.

"There’s so much to do!” says Bunty. “I’m quite frazzled. But you know, one has to be hands-on if one wants everything to be perfect. And although I’ve never been one to toot my own horn, I must admit that I’m absolutely in my element when it comes to organising these types of events! It all comes down to attention to detail, and the fact that as Georgina's mother I know exactly what she wants on her special day! We're so in sync it's almost uncanny!"

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Georgina: VINNEEEEEEEE! I did it! I did the fire walk! Were you watching?

Vinnie: I’m always watching, Girl.

Georgina reflects that if anyone else were to utter such a statement it would probably sound creepy, but when Vinnie says it she just feels safe and loved and protected. She is about to slide into the pool and join him when she hears her phone ringing next to the lounge chair. She runs over to grab it .

Georgina: It’s Melinda! Should I answer?

Vinnie: Yeah. We can trust her.   

Georgina: Hi, Mel!

Melinda’s mellifluous vowels hang languidly in the tropical afternoon air.

Melinda: Hello, Georgie! I’m standing at your back door. I just popped over to drop off some fresh vegetables from our vegie garden. Where are you? Will you be home soon?

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Random OC Question: What is the most irrational superstition your OC has?

In Appaloosa Plains there is probably no other wild bird that is associated with superstition as much as the Spotted Sixam. Folklore has surrounded the Spotted Sixam for hundreds of years. One of the most common superstitions regarding Spotted Sixams is that it is bad luck to see a Sixam on its own. Whilst no one is sure why a lonely Sixam is a symbol of bad luck, it is thought this is because Sixams are known to mate for life.

To counter the bad luck that the sight of a lone Sixam might bring, country folk will often greet and hail the bird with one of the following sayings:

‘Good Morning Mr Sixam, how is your lady wife today?’

‘Good Morning, Admiral! How's your brother?’

It is also traditional to tip your hat or salute the Sixam to show respect.

Now, Melinda Bradstreet- Fyfe doesn't consider herself a superstitious woman at all, but she will always stop and wave and call out "Good morning!" or "Good afternoon!" to any solitary Sixams that cross her path. City folk might label such behaviour irrational, but as far as she's concerned it's just good manners! Her grandmother's reaction was a lot more extreme- if she ever saw a single Sixam she would spit three times over her shoulder, and then run around in a circle flapping her arms like wings while squawking as loudly as she could to mimic the Sixam's missing mate. This behaviour could be quite embarrassing at times- Melinda has never forgotten the time her grandmother spotted a Sixam at a funeral, and she doubts any of the other mourners have either!

Thank you for such a lovely ask, and sorry it took so long to answer!

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@simlicious' Advent Calendar patterns are always a highlight of the festive season and this year is no exception! It's hard to pick favourites but the preppy wool fabrics are particularly gorgeous and inspired me to do a photoshoot with Vinnie, Georgina and their blue-blooded neighbour, Melinda Bradstreet-Fyfe. The pattern on Georgina's pullover, left, is a warm and cosy Argyle, while Melinda's skirt is showcasing a classic houndstooth wool tartan fabric. Last but by no means least, Vinnie is rocking a basegame jacket improved 1000% by another beautiful wool tartan pattern. Shot on location at the Appaloosa Plains Golf Club. Vinnie's boots by @nectar-cellar here.

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My 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝟐𝟑 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬 from 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 🎉

I was tagged by the iconic @ice-creamforbreakfast, thank you so much Alexandra! Let the chronologically -ordered spam commence!

Melinda Bradstreet-Fyfe arriving at Georgina and Vinnie's property in her private helicopter. As you do.

2. Vinnie and Georgina's Wedding!

3. Bunty's reaction to the news of Vinnie and Georgina's wedding!

4. Warren the Whale Whisperer catching some rays aboard his luxury cruiser, Seas the Day.

5. My top post for 2023.

6. Rogue accompanying Angus on the piano

7. Georgina the Sceptic oblivious to the kraken devouring a speedboat behind her

8. The spotted sixam, a special bird associated with much superstition and folklore.

9. The first night that Saffy and Connor ever spent together!

10. I really enjoyed creating the facade of the hotel and placing all he taxis etc on the lot. But I kept getting error messages whenever I tried to save. Grrrr!

11. I spent so much time setting up these shots and decorating Harrison's hotel room. But I'm proud of the results.

12. Hotel corridor. I imagine Crystal's heels would sink very deep into the plush carpet irl.@aroundthesims' 'do not disturb' hotel doors were integral to setting the scene.

l3. Sexy fun times

14. lol

15. The scenes in the hotel were so much fun and for once I was able to find the right poses.

16 and 17. Club Mango. I love staging crowd scenes even though they are hell on my poor PC.

18. Roy's impromptu therapy session with Jane.

19. Guess who rang while poor Joël was trying to get baby Alice to sleep?

20. Alice's birthday!

21. The irrepressible Rorg

22. Obligatory scenery shot.

23. First kiss between Connor and Saffron!

Thank you so much my wonderful friends and mutuals for reliving all these moments with me! I would like to tag @oasislandingresident @frostedshore @zosa95 @whyhellosims @neillesimstories @gaiahypothesims @queeniecook and @anamoon63. No pressure of course!

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“I think you're right, a Cinderella-style glass carriage drawn by half a dozen horses may be a bit impractical,” says Bunty. “Shall we just have Georgina arriving on horseback instead? Surely one horse would be manageable? And Georgina is an expert horsewoman, after all. I’m sure she’d love it if her favourite horse could be part of her special day!“

“Oh, it’s always thrilling to see a bride on horseback,” says Sophie. “What is Georgina’s horse’s name?”

Bunty’s brow creases. She has never been fond of horses, which is quite ironic considering that she chose to marry a horse trainer and settle in Appaloosa Plains. She has no idea which of their horses is Georgina’s favourite, nor does she have any idea what the beast looks like. The only reason she is keen to have a horse play a starring role in Georgina’s wedding is because she knows it will delight all the influential horsey people who will be in attendance, and Melinda and Hector Bradstreet-Fyfe in particular.

“Erm, it's Rosie,” she says, her gaze landing on the bowl of roses on the coffee table.

“How sweet!” says Sophie. “Now, has Georgina mentioned that she might be considering wearing a veil and tiara? I only ask of course because trying to fit a riding helmet over a tiara can be a tiny bit tricky!"

Bunty’s phone is ringing. She pulls it out of her pocket and smiles with self-satisfaction.

“It’s Georgina!” she says. “She must have known we were talking about her. Hello darling! Guess where I am!”

“I have no idea, Mother,” says Georgina. “But it sounds like you're absolutely dying to tell me."

“I’m with Sophie the wedding planner!" says Bunty.

“How convenient!” says Georgina. “I was going to phone Sophie after I spoke to you. But now I can kill two birds with one stone! Can you put me on speaker, please?”

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Bunty has made an appointment to see Sophie the Wedding Planner today, just to toss around some ideas- besides, somebody has to be proactive about this wedding! If everything was left up to Georgina it would be years before she and Vincent got married! It was the same when Georgina got married to Patrick…Georgina wasn’t the slightest bit interested in planning anything, and as a result the entire wedding was hijacked by Patrick’s snake of a mother, Margaret Muir. Bunty is determined that she will put her stamp on Georgina’s second wedding, and that it will be the social event of the season- and with the Bradstreet-Fyfes on the guest list, there’s no way it can fail to be!

“How lovely to see you again, Bunty!” says Sophie when Bunty arrives at her office. “But I have to tell you that Georgina hasn’t rung me yet, so I’m not really sure if we should be having this meeting without knowing if she even wants to hire me-“

“Of course she’s hiring you, Sophie!” says Bunty, giving a tinkle of incredulous laughter. “You can take my presence here today as confirmation! It’s just that she’s so busy running her little farm and her vineyard, she’s probably completely forgotten she was supposed to ring you. But we can get the ball rolling, can we not? I have so many ideas I’d like to share with you!”

“Well, alright, as long as you’re sure Georgina won’t mind not being here for the initial consultation-“says Sophie.

“As Georgina’s mother I know her better than anyone, and I can assure you she won’t mind in the slightest. She trusts my judgment in these matters implicitly!” says Bunty. “Now, did I mention that Melinda and Hector Bradstreet-Fyfe have already confirmed their attendance at the wedding? They’re very good friends of ours, you know.”

Sophie looks very impressed, as well she should be.

“Bunty, let’s sit down on the couch and discuss your ideas, shall we?” she says. “I absolutely cannot wait to hear them!”

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Going to post some gameplay spam for @justanothersimsblog and anyone else who may be interested. I've been having so much fun with Vinnie and Georgina at the resort, I almost feel like I've been on holiday too! A new story post should appear on Saturday. (Along with ******SPOILER****** a cameo from Melinda Bradstreet- Fyfe and maybe even a wild Mia!!!)

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Bunty is sitting in her locked car with the windows wound up when Vinnie arrives. She gives an involuntary shudder as he exits his truck, his lurching tattooed bulk almost blocking out the sun. She steels herself as he approaches the car and motions to her to wind down the window. She lowers it a quarter of an inch.

“You’re gonna have to get out, Mrs. Goddard,” he says. “I can’t fix the car with you sitting there.”

Bunty would have glared at him if she wasn’t so afraid of making eye contact. She unlocks her door and climbs out, her face pale, her chin arrogantly tilted. Vinnie grins at her.

“You can wait in the truck if you like,” he says. Bunty’s face grows even paler: the idea of sharing Vinnie’s personal space, touching things that his huge gorilla-like hands have touched, fills her with revulsion! She marches off to wait by the side of the road, pretending to scroll through her phone while he tinkers with her car engine. She is too tense to be able to concentrate on anything on the screen; she wouldn’t put it past Vinnie to sneak up behind her and kill her with a single blow to the back of her head with his wrench or whatever it is! How she wishes that Georgina had tried harder to mend her marriage to Patrick- Patrick was far from the perfect husband, of course, he was married to his business first and to Georgina second but surely they could have made it work, his family owned a chateau and a vineyard in France for goodness sake! Georgina is nothing but a damned fool for giving all that up! What can Vinnie offer her? Nothing but a life of debt, debauchery and despair! Bunty wouldn’t be surprised if he was a fugitive from the law! He certainly looks the part, with his scars and tattoos and his menacing, thug-like aura-

Bunty’s internal diatribe against Vinnie is interrupted by the jaunty beeping of a car horn; she glances up and sees a pewter-coloured Bentley glide to a stop on the opposite side of the road. Anybody who is anybody in the district knows who owns that Bentley: Melinda Bradstreet-Fyfe! Melinda is the wife of the wealthiest grazier in Appaloosa Plains, Hector Bradstreet- Ffye, who also happens to be the President of the Country Club, the Golf Club, and the Polo Club. Melinda jumps out of the car ( she’s wearing the most darling lemon- coloured Chanel suit that causes Bunty’s heart to constrict with envy) and lifts her arm in a frantic wave- she probably caught sight of Vinnie’s hulking, brutish form and wants to make sure that Bunty is not in the throes of being mugged, abducted or worse. Bunty raises her hand to wave to her in return and Melinda darts across the road but she is running not towards Bunty but towards Vinnie? And now she is air-kissing and hugging….Vinnie??? Bunty’s hands fly to cover her mouth as her mind tries to process what her eyes are witnessing. She feels faint, trapped in some terrible alternative reality! WHAT ON EARTH IS HAPPENING??  

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“Vinnie!” says Melinda. “How wonderful to see you! How have you been? I was just telling Hector a couple of nights ago that we must catch up soon!”

“I’ve been good, thanks Mel,” says Vinnie, the craggy contours of his face relaxing to form a wide smile. Bunty almost dies from second-hand embarrassment hearing him call Melinda ‘Mel’ but Melinda doesn’t seem to mind in the slightest- she even responds with a schoolgirlish giggle! Bunty loudly coughs but they both ignore her, Vinnie is saying something about how he has purchased some pomegranate trees? Bunty lifts her chin determinedly and marches over to cut into the conversation, making sure her voice is drenched in warm and gracious charm as she exclaims “Melinda, my dear! You look absolutely radiant!”

“Hello, Bunty,” says Melinda, dropping a limp air-kiss in the vicinity of Bunty’s left ear. “You’ve been having a bit of car trouble, by the looks of it?”

“Oh, nothing that Vinnie can’t fix,” says Bunty.

“Vinnie has so many strings to his bow,” says Melinda, with another fond glance in Vinnie’s direction. Vinnie modestly shuffles his feet.

“He does, doesn’t he?” says Bunty. “But how do you two know each other, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Oh, it’s quite the story!” says Melinda. “I’m surprised you haven’t heard! One of our prize Brahman bulls escaped a couple of weeks ago when he was being loaded onto a trailer, and Vinnie found him wandering down the road and roped him and brought him back to the trailer for us safe and sound! We were so grateful, that bull is worth a fortune! A batch of his semen sold recently at auction for more than §67,000!”

“My....my goodness,” says Bunty faintly.

“So to express our gratitude Hector and I invited Vinnie and Georgina to dinner a few nights later, and I don’t think it’s too much of an exaggeration to say we’ve all become firm friends! Georgina was even kind enough to invite us to their wedding. Such a beautiful couple! You and Ian must be so proud, Bunty!”

“Oh, we are!” Bunty gushes.”So proud and so…so blessed to have Vinnie joining our family. Georgina is the luckiest girl in the whole district!”

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List 5 facts about a favorite sim of yours, and send this to 10 simblrs whose sims you adore ♥♥♥

Thank you for the ask Diana! I have chosen Melinda Bradstreet-Fyfe, wife of the wealthiest grazier and landowner in Appaloosa Plains, Hector Bradstreet-Fyfe.

1. Melinda may be fabulously rich but she is also very hands-on when it comes to farm work, and she likes nothing better than to swap her Double-G pumps for a pair of rubber boots and to help out when needed! 

2. Her favourite chore is milking the cows, followed closely by gathering eggs. Her least favourite chore: pulling a large calf from a bad-tempered, first-calf heifer!

3. Her favourite food is rare and juicy steak. Her least favourite food: cantaloupes.

4. While Melinda’s pewter Bentley is as well-known in the district as she is, she is also fond of another mode of transport- helicopter! Melinda gained her helicopter licence ten years ago and believes there is nothing more relaxing than a helicopter flight on a clear and sunny day, soaring through the skies and marvelling at the panoramic views! And best of all, in a helicopter you don’t have to worry about getting stuck behind a tractor doing 10 mph with a trailer full of cantaloupes! (What is it about tractor-driving cantaloupe farmers?? They never, EVER pull over to let anyone else pass!)

5. Melinda considers herself to be empathetic, broad-minded, and non-judgmental, with a finely-honed sense of social justice. But there is something about cantaloupe farmers that really test the limits of her patience.  

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“What’s Mother Dearest gone and done now?” says Roy. Georgina tells him all about Bunty’s encounter with Melinda Bradstreet-Fyfe, and how Bunty’s opinion of Vinnie has suddenly undergone a complete metamorphosis just because Melinda was singing Vinnie’s praises.

“And now Bunty’s invited herself to the wedding too, just because Melinda said she was coming!” fumes Georgina. “She seems to have completely forgotten that just a few short weeks ago she told me she’d rather poke knitting needles in her eyes than watch me get married to such a boorish, knuckle-dragging Neanderthal. Those were her exact words. But she’s completely changed her tune now she’s found out that Melinda has given Vinnie her seal of approval! Honestly, she’s the utter end. Oh, and I almost forgot! She ALSO told me she wants to be involved in planning the wedding! Can you believe it?”

“Nothing would surprise me when it comes to Bunty,” says Roy. “I hope you told her to go to hell.”  

“I did, actually,” says Georgina. “I was very proud of myself. I’m still letting her come to the wedding, though. I mean, I’d just feel too guilty if I didn’t. And it will be hysterical seeing her come face to face with Saoirse!”

“Um, about that,” says Roy. “Saoirse won’t be coming.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” says Georgina. “I didn’t mean to be so insensitive! Of course she won’t want to come face-to-face with Mother! I don’t know what I was thinking. What about I try and organise the seating at the reception so you and she are seated as far away from Mother as possible? Do you think she’d be okay with that?”

“No, I meant…Saoirse and I aren’t together any more,” says Roy.

“What?” says Georgina. “What do you mean?”

“I won’t bore you with the details, but it was obvious it wasn’t going to work out,” says Roy.” Anyway, I’m with someone else now. She’s 21 and her name is Anya. And... I’m head over heels in love.”

“WHAT?” says Georgina, the word suspended in crackling shock for a full five seconds. “I’m sorry? What on earth, Roy?”