the social and political scenes around the Island. While Hester's first column appears today, she will appear every Thursday on Page 4 from now on.

Perhaps it is the added stress and all those official dinners accompanied by only the finest champagne that have sent Premier Jennifer Smith walking early mornings. She's been sighted of late, attempting to be incognito under a baseball cap, strutting along Middle Road around the hospital. Hester hears she's taken to power walking on doctor's orders, and what's more, the doc's kindly nurse has been dispatched without pay to egg her on each morning in The Colonel's absence. However, it seems the Premier's fitness kick ends at the office. She was spotted being chauffered in her stately blue BMW from the Cabinet Building across the road to Parliament! Speaking of the Premier's penchant for bubbly, Hester is told The Colonel made a fuss at the recent farewell cocktail party for hospital executive director Sheila Manderson when he found there was "no champagne again!'' for his boss.

Hester's told by people who attended that he had words with the folk in charge of the bash for not having a bottle of the fizzy stuff on hand. "You know that's what she drinks!'', they were told.

The Island could be in for another hammering from Canada after Canadian drug treatment expert Dr. Lynda Price's shock arrest and unexpected sleepover in prison last week -- all over an apparent petty dispute with her landlord Kevin Mahoney. Hester hears the dispute amounted to nothing more than an unnecessary interior paint job being demanded of her and some scuff marks on the floor of her Paget apartment. Hester hears Dr. Price, who had been dismissed two months into her job at the NDC, is so upset over her treatment here that she is talking about suing the Police over her bizarre arrest and the Government over her dismissal and payment she believes she is still owed -- and she plans to report her treatment to the Canadian authorities. Helping her is a local lawyer and her brother -- a high-powered Canadian lawyer.

The Rolling Stones may not have rocked up for the big wedding this weekend, but Hester hears a number of other celebrities have been jetting in and out for sun 'n' pink sand. Sources tell her Yoko Ono and son Sean Lennon have been enjoying a break at ritzy Cambridge Beaches, while English football star Teddy Sheringham -- the substitute who scored the famous Manchester United goal in the European Cup Final -- was spotted looking at sexy lingerie in Eve's Garden.

On the subject of the big wedding, Hester is sure it's no insult to local photographer Art Simons' work, but Stones drummer Charlie Watts' sister showed up at The Royal Gazette last week requesting copies of pics snapped by staff photographer David Skinner outside Christ Church, Warwick, where Watts' 30-year-old daughter Seraphina wed local lawyer Nick Hoskins, 32, on Saturday.

It may not be as high profile a wedding, but Hester can reveal Police Commissioner Jean Jacques Lemay is to wed his lady love -- a Canadian doctor -- in August. She can also divulge that former Assistant commissioner Alan Bissell, said to have quit the Force over plans to rotate the leadership of the Force between about five senior officers, is to return in August for a spell. Hester is told that this is so Mr. Lemay can enjoy a honeymoon knowing the Force is in good hands.