Development is underway along the usually quiet seaside street of Arbutus Avenue in Maple Bay. While some are opposed, many seem genuinely tickled about it — despite the fact no permits for the construction have been filed with the Municipality of North Cowichan and nobody knows who is behind it.
It appears as though a fairy neighbourhood has sprung up in the trees, with perhaps a dozen little structures — including a fire hall (safety first!) — now dotting the roadside. I don’t know how many for sure, I didn’t count them. But most certainly there are enough to make the route fun.
The small buildings attached to the bases of trees have created quite the buzz around the neighbourhood. How they got there, or rather, who put them there, remains a bit of a mystery, but few seem to mind.
“I have never seen anyone building these structures, they just appear, to our great delight,” said Daphne Sturney, who lives in the area.
She does have her suspicions though.
“In recent months a very nice bulletin board was erected by our mail boxes and… we noted a small book box had been added to the same structure. The ‘Little People’ take responsibility for this structure,” she explained. “I’m wondering if the same folks are responsible for the houses as well.”
I wrote a feature about fairy gardens back in May 2017 and learned at the time of their magic, particularly with children.
So, I packed up my brood, got in the car, and went for a Sunday drive to check them out and to try to get a feeling about what makes them so cool. I apologize if we sat out in front of your house a little longer than was comfortable. We were just looking for the tiny houses, I promise.
The first ones we spotted were right where Beaumont turned into Arbutus down in the Bay. We found more along the right side of the road as we travelled up the street.
They’re silly little houses really. Or am I confusing silly with whimsical? I am not sure. In any event, it brightened up our drizzly Sunday.
I will admit, my first though about these miniature houses is what a breeze dusting would be if we lived there. Although cleaning tiny toilets could be tricky…
Then we found “the best one” and that kicked off an unexpected display of enthusiasm from my generally stoic son.
“I knew we were gonna find a fire hall!” he declared. “I wanna find a fairy. Can you spot a fairy, Dad?” Being of that particular age in which it appears to be mandatory to kick off your shoes as soon as you’re buckled into your car seat, my son convinced his father to get him out of the vehicle and to carry him to check out one particular structure. He was way more into it than I would ever have imagined. I felt bad for his sister who fell asleep in her seat and missed the entire adventure. But something tells me we’ll be back.
If you’ve got a hankering for a quick and fun adventure, go check them out. Be mindful, however, as Arbutus Road is hilly and winding and it’s hard to see pedestrians and vehicles alike as you move around the bends.
sarah.simpson@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
