​

 

Mary could not believe it when the stench of putrid smoke came wafting through her open windows. She thought those times were over after she’d battled with the nearby shop owners who lit fires at the end of the day and went home leaving her locked inside the house with doors and windows shut. Dark days indeed.

Although Mary was dismayed to find there were no laws about having bonfires she was pleased to hear that the new neighbours were keen to avoid being a nuisance in future as she welcomed them to the avenue with tea on the lawn.