Barbara's Garden Chronicles: Top Gear Testing in My Very Own Garden

I've just erased my first sentence - it was just too woeful. And instead, I'm going to give you the bucked-up version of the death of my corner garden and poor old camera.

First, the garden and a short explanation about the title - Top Gear. This British show features three goofy guys - two tall, one short and some fellow called the Stig who test drive cars. Fancy celebrities are invited on to race around a track and compare their times with other fancy famous people - e.g. Jamie Oliver, the other foul mouthed chef, pretty 'presenter' ladies and Joanna Lumley (the Avengers & Absolutely Fabulous). We get to see their efforts - shifting gears, swearing and driving over pylons. Their times are written on a piece of cardboard and after much fanfare, bitten lipped worried looks and applause from the crowd their time is taped to a big tall metal thingie and the crowd goes wild. When the goofy guys are not racing cars, they're doing stupid stunts like driving up the side of a Scottish mountain, oh, and they also have a section of the show where they argue whether a car is cool or not. Did I mention that the audience has to stand during the whole show - strangely there are no chairs - although maybe it's just too darn exciting they figured no one in their right mind would be able to stay seated.

As you may have guessed, my husband loves the thing.

Little did I know that I'd have my very own Top Gear driving tricks featured in my own front yard. A gentleman driving a Subaru went through the stop sign - was T-boned by a landscaper driving an F150 - hit a hydro pole - and then the Subaru driver with his leg completely down on the gas did a tight 360 degree spin over the sidewalk, through the garden and back out onto the street. Best news of all - nobody was hurt. I wasn't in the garden - the children hadn't started back to school - the sad part is the garden - several woodies were cut off at the base and the rest of the stuff just looks about how you'd expect it took look after having a sturdy late model Subaru drive over it at a quick pace. Hopefully I'll be able to get the police report today to see if Mr. Subaru might help pay for the plants that are no more.

And, my camera died. Well, not completely - but there is a UFO on the sensor and it's causing a smooshie blob in the left hand corner of all my shots. While it's probably fixable - $250 - was the quote and because of the age of it, they're thinking maybe another 2 years of life max. I looked at a comparable Canon - and it just doesn't fit in my hands the same way - so I'm leaning toward a Panasonic ZS7 12MP 12x optical 25-300 mm. It will have the same point and shoot capabilities with a lot more thrown in including HD video of all things. I'll go back over this afternoon and fondle it again to see if there's a love connection.

So until then, here are a few shots from the London Eye from my good old camera.....

The wait-time was about 90 minutes. I'm terrified of heights. Lots of time to contemplate my folly.

We're closer here - about 30 minutes from boarding and can see the crews with mirrors going over each little pod for things that shouldn't be there....tick tock, tick tock

That's me with the hat in the centre, being so very brave....

It was a spendid day - and for those who were able to look out the window you could see forever. Photograph curtosy of handsome husband. It is our 30th anniversary today!