Fairies Light my Garden

I have always loved fairies, especially the flower fairies created by the late Cicely Mary Barker.My garden is mainly shaded by large trees in my neighborhood, but there are a few places that are almost always brightly lit with sunshine during the day.

The first solar globe Fairy that I saw was the sleeping fairy: the one pictured that is draped over a globe.I found it on eBay and snapped it up (I can't find the box, but do an eBay search for solar fairy globe; you'll find something). Installation was a snap: Put it in the garden situated so that the solar panel gets sun most of the day.The globe lights when it begins to get dark; how long they stay dark depends on how much sunlight they get, so fall and spring the light doesn't last nearly as long as in midsummer.

That first winter I left my first (and then only) fairy outside, as the box said "Indoor/Outdoor" and said nothing about bringing it in for winter. It might have survived if it hadn't been trampled by my neighbor's black lab.I replaced it the next summer, and bought her a friend at the same time: the fairy with her arms around the sides of the globe, looking into it as if it were a crystal ball. Later I found the fairy sitting under the tulip light, and then the kissing fairies, and they all joined my garden.I love seeing their glowing lights in amidst my flowers. I was concerned that they might be stolen; they aren't inside a fence. But apparently thieves are aware of what happens when you anger fairies!

They've now survived two summers, and I've kept them inside in the winter.I haven't been able to find another in this line, but if I should, I'm getting it! Kids love them too.They often stick a finger in their mouth as they look at the fairies; if a mother could explain why they do that, I'd love to hear it!The price is a little high, but if you don't stomp on it and you bring it indoors in cold weather, they do just fine.

Update On May 29, 2008: I found another fairy in this line, made by Echo Valley and available from the Wind and Weather catalog, and a couple of other catalogs (Front Gate, I think, is one). $39.99. This fairy doesn't have a globe, but her flowers line up, and she's looking at herself in the mirror. If our winds quit blowing at 50 mph, I'll put the fairies back in the garden where they belong!