The Victory Garden

“But only children bully,’ stated the local mayor as I tried to explain my dilemma. Dreams of verdant abundance and bountiful crops interrupted only by chortling of bird song, had become a nightmare of earth shaking doof doof music, hurtling cars and the constant whine of air conditioners. A neighbour’s indiscriminate water usage resulted in a moat around our new dwelling. I had begun to refer to the house as ‘migraine mansion’. Would we overcome the torment of our surroundings to achieve a peaceful garden paradise? Would our recent marriage of opposite personalities survive the battle? The struggle is interrupted by a European holiday. As ‘two Tassie travellers’ we visit 5 countries over 6 weeks. Hilarity, sulks and adventure follow when an upbeat, ‘let’s do it’ nature is combined with a ploddy, reserved character. The weary travellers return to the enemy onslaught. Could the victory gardens of World War 2 provide inspiration for our suburban plot? Could Peter save the day with a technological solution? This book is for those who have had their domestic tranquillity supplanted by neighbours from hell. It is for those who have been told that “only children bully”, “it’s just a domestic”, or “we don’t have any trouble with our neighbours”. This last comment is completed with a look which is both supercilious and pitying. The Victory Garden is for those who have read, Six Months in Wonderland and asked, “Are you going to write another one?” and “What happens next?”