Hester had to raise her glass to former teachers' union leader and PLP Senator Milton Scott earlier this month.

Your columnist joined the hordes at the Wine Rack on Front Street to snap up some bargain booze after the store announced it was moving. Nosing around the boxes of plonk already reserved, Hester spotted a case of Opus One put aside for the ex-Education Minister.

Hester likes a glass or two of the decent stuff herself but her budget rarely stretches to Opus One, a cult Californian wine that sells for an eye-watering $145 a bottle. For those unacquainted with the pricey vino, it's produced by Robert Mondavi and Baron Phillipe de Rothschild, and after it was launched in 1984 with a limited supply of 11,000 cases, it established a reputation as a must-buy for trendy wine aficionados.

A quick calculation shows Mr. Scott's purchase was $1,740 for his case of the 1997 vintage, and even with the 25 percent discount of $435, he shelled out a cool $1,305. Hester is sure she can find a window in her diary if Milton is looking for someone to share a glass. Cheers!

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Hester likes to consider herself a woman of the world and is au fait with the many and varied names for drugs. Cannabis is known "on de street" as weed, hash, grass, smoke, ganja, dope, gear and a few other names besides no doubt. But Hester thinks a new word is about to enter the lexicon for marijuana: "good deed" - copyright lawyer Mark Pettingill. Hester was following the fascinating trial of powerboat racer Kirk Roberts and Alphonso Holder, who were recently convicted of importing a huge stash of cannabis. During one priceless exchange, after Crown witness Stephen Cabral Jr. said he went with Roberts to pick up the weed from the boat, Mr. Pettingill said, apparently straight-faced: "I suggest to you, you inquired of Kirk Roberts what was going on, and he just kind of smiled and said: 'We're off to do a good deed!"

Nope, quite sure about that, replied a bewildered Mr. Cabral.

Hester is sure some byes planning to score some marijuana are already talking of going out to do a "good deed". Indeed!

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Never let it be said that Hester is in awe of our political masters, regardless of what party colours they wear.

Despite that, there are occasions when honourable members from the House on the Hill leave your columnist totally flummoxed and wrong-footed with their ingenuity.

Take this as an example. Commenting on the fact that we Bermudians can now apply for British citizenship and a British passport, Government backbencher El James couldn't resist droning on about the positive benefits of life in the UK last week.

In an interview with The Daily, Mr. James, whose athletic son will no doubt shortly be taking advantage of all those superb sporting facilities that are on offer in the UK, said: "Anyone like him who is pursuing athletics, who are in any way limited here because of exposure can easily, on a British passport, go where training facilities are a lot better, where the opportunities are a lot better - it will benefit a lot of people who are progressive."

But, when questioned in the same interview on the thorny question of independence, our cricketing hero said: "This is good - the ultimate I believe would be independence."

Could it be that the formerly svelte but now rotund Mr. James has been having too much of his own cake and eating it?

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And finally...more words of wisdom from our friends from the House on The Hill.

Poor Opposition MP John Barritt was on the wrong end of a tongue-lashing during the debate on the Bermuda Educators Council Act 2002 on Friday night.

Insisting that Government was dilly-dallying over the real problems behind the public education system, the Shadow Minister for Legislative Affairs called on our leaders to "stop pussyfooting around" the issue.

Government benches were instantly in uproar, with Madam Premier leading the chorus call for a refrain from such obscene language.

While a bemused Speaker of the House sat and did nothing, JB, in a conciliatory gesture, opted to re-phrase his argument.

But although Hester has on occasion been labelled a prude, she really can't see how the honourable member for Devonshire South strayed from House etiquette. According to the definition in Hester's own Oxford English Dictionary, the well-worn and perfectible acceptable term means, amongst other things, to stall.

Surprisingly Government backbencher Delaey Robinson escaped the same sort of censorship when he trotted out the term "short and curlies" in the same debate.

And when the St. George's guesthouse owner referred to wealthy people as being "well endowed" there was only the odd giggle in the House.