getting an invitation to a party.'' As you know Hester is the life and soul of every social gathering but that's one party she would happily give a miss.

And one final observation gleaned from the pages of the Island's media. Hester read with interest a report in The Gazette last week about a meeting of Smith's Parish residents held at the Whitney Institute on Tuesday night.

The event was of some historic significance in that parish councils rarely hold public meetings.

So what topics were up for discussion at Tuesday's packed meet? Well, apart from a few road traffic concerns and a call for some improved local facilities, not a great deal.

Not surprisingly the event didn't get that much coverage in the daily -- taking up a measly few inches at the bottom of Page 5. But Hester thinks it warranted a bit more coverage for another quite all together different historic reason.

Hester can reveal that the meeting started promptly at 7.30 p.m. and came to a close less than half-an-hour later -- making it the first public meeting to be held on the Island to actually finish before most people expected it to begin.

Ever wondered why it can take weeks for a letter posted to anywhere in the US from Bermuda can takes weeks to arrive? Well Hester thinks she may have unearthed the cause behind much of the Island's postal ills.

A friend of this columnist was recently having a little tete-a-tete with Bermuda's Postmaster General, the esteemed Clevelyn Crichlow.

When asked how he spelt his Christian name, Mr. Crichlow replied: "Just like the city in the US state of Ohio.'' However, after checking her Atlas, Hester discovered that the only Clevelyn in Ohio is spelt CLEVELAND.

If the head of Bermuda's post office (and former school teacher) is having trouble with his US cities should we be surprised if the Island's mail is being sent everywhere except where it's meant to go? And finally, a word on last week's Police bash in which retiring Commissioner Jean Jacques Lemay handed over the baton to his successor Jonathan Smith.

It would appear that big Jean-Jacques decided to break with tradition by splashing out on a big parade for the Island's first Bermudian Police chief since the early 1990s, even though the official handing-over took place earlier in the morning.

The ceremony -- which included a military band and march-past, motorcycle cavalcade and plenty of the Island's beautiful and best dressed up to the nines -- must have cost the er...Prospect Social Club, a pretty penny.

However, Hester hears that the outgoing Commish was able to save a few sovereigns here and there.

When the call went out to our brave boys in blue to volunteer for extra duties to cover the ceremony -- with the carrot of double time being offered as an incentive -- only three recruits stepped forward. Ouch!