While Hester has always taken claims that the Island’s property market is overpriced with a pinch of salt, her baby blues almost popped out past her luscious lashes after seeing Coldwell Banker’s <$>latest full page advertisement in Monday’s Royal Gazette<$>.

Not only are there several houses costing more than $5 million — with a four bedroom, six bath in Hamilton parish running close to $10 million and six acres of land in Warwick for $7.5 million — the rental market also seems to be somewhat inflated. Hester feels that some landlords may be taking things a little too far in an effort to solve the housing crisis by offering a ‘0 bedroom 1 full bath’ apartment in Southampton for $1,800 a month, which was one of the properties up for grabs in the ad.

While Hester can see the advantages of living in a bathroom, especially for some of her colleagues after a weekend on the town, she wonders whether other landlords will jump on the bandwagon and start renting out their water closets.Hester has figured out why Tourism supremo David Allen has failed to turn around the industry as he promised back in 1998.

It has nothing to do with prices, air fares, service or any of the other reasons routinely trotted out to explain tourism’s troubles.

Hester has discovered that the problem stems from the word most commonly associated with Bermuda — the dreaded Triangle.

Bermuda Triangle, in the hands of lazy journalists around the world, has become the common description for just about any trouble spot.

Late last year, Business Week discussed the US economy ( “The Bermuda Triangle of retailers this holidays will be full-service department stores, speciality apparel retailers and fine goods stores....), the London Free Press in Ontario previewed a football game (Star running back Mike Bradley hurt his knee last week and the defensive end position has been a Bermuda Triangle<$> all season”) and the UK Independent newspaper discussed space exploration ( “Mars, long considered the Bermuda Triangle of the Solar System...”). All found ways to work that three-sided vision of disaster into their stories.

In fairness to The Independent, it did use the term accurately in another story. Infamous ex-MP, litigant and former Bermuda resident Rupert Allason<$>, it reported, was known as yes, Bermuda Triangle, <$>after it was said he had disappeared there, thereby missing a crucial vote in the UK House of Commons.

But the Arizona Republic had good news: the Arizona town of Tempe “is looking to designate as an arts district a dreary stretch of Apache Boulevard once known as the “Bermuda Triangle” because of the crime generated by three bars. Thank goodness for that.While getting ready to see in the New Year last Monday, Hester, with glass of bubbly in hand, found herself with a little time to surf the web while blowing on her just manicured nails.

Checking out the newly launched web site of The Royal Gazette, Hester noticed that she was not the only one thinking up New Year’s resolutions.

As reported on www.theroyalgazette.com, Finance Minister Eugene Cox has been caught up in that train of thought.

Speaking to The Gazette, Mr. Cox reportedly said: “Eight years ago, I gave a speech when retiring from my professional job and I spoke of an old Chinese proverb which says ‘In the garden, under the cherry tree, there is rest’. I think I have picked out that spot in my garden at home, but I have been short on the rest, or time for rest ,so my wish for the New Year is to spend a little more time in the garden. My wife loves flowers and plants, both indoors and outdoors, maybe I will be an assistant to her, if I can be home more than I am away. So, I would say my wish is to spend some more time under the cherry tree getting some rest and doing gardening around the house.”

But, Hester thinks this might really be wishful thinking on the part of the Minister. Whoever heard of the keeper of the Island’s purse strings sitting under a tree in the middle of an economic downturn.

And lest anyone think the Minister might have been hinting at plans to resign, Mr. Cox set the record straight: “I certainly want to continue to do whatever I can to support the Government,’’ he said.

“I have worked long and hard to get the point to where we run the Government, and I would not want to jeopardise any successes that we might have. The country does come first, and I guess we put ourselves after that. I am in this position at the Premier’s pleasure anyhow. But, at present I have no immediate plans to step down. That needs to be out there.”Hester’s no Dr. Dolittle, but she does like to think of herself as a friend of the animal world.

So given the opportunity to take her friend’s dog for a walk along Horseshoe Bay on a balmy December morning she didn’t hesitate to accept.

After an hour’s constitutional, Rover, (whose name has been changed to protect the innocent) and yours truly left the beach.

But as we were heading off we came across three people with a canine of their own.

Now as Rover is of a placid temperament and both animals appeared keen to meet each other I began to take her over.

From a distance I could hear the dog’s owner say: “Aw, look she’s all excited.” so I presumed it was OK for the pair to be introduced.

But as I got closer I found that to be far from the case.

“Is that a Rottweiler?” asked one of the trio as we approached.

Now I can only assume that he had not seen many dogs because Rover is a mere foot and a half tall and in no way shape or form looks like a guard dog.

“No,” I said. “Like most dogs in Bermuda she is part pit....”

Before I could continue with my ‘bull’ I was stopped in my tracks.

“Oooohh, I’m not sure my dog should me meeting one of those,” said the owner, dragging her poodle-like specimen behind her in obvious fear.

“But she wouldn’t hurt a fl.....” I tried to explain in her defence.

“Ooh but we wouldn’t want to encourage that side of her to get out,” said the woman’s companion.

Telling the trembling trio that Rover is literally scared of paper bags and that I would be more likely to bite them was obviously pointless so, covering her ears so she would not be upset by the defamatory remarks, we left, informing them as we did that we didn’t want to meet their dog anyway.

To say I was upset would be an understatement. I felt like a mother whose child was not allowed to play with Johnny Snottybreeches because we were from the wrong side of the tracks.

Unfortunately, it appears that those pitbull owners who do not treat their animals properly and encourage them to be aggressive spoil it for those of us who give them the proper care and attention.

Talk about giving a dog a bad name.