journalism can be a pretty stressful job. What with the lousy hours, poor pay and er, bad press that reporters have to put up with, is it any wonder the poor dears don't occasionally crack under the strain? Apparently those in the glitzy world of television news suffer from similar problems. If anyone was wondering where VSB anchorwoman Katy Brash had disappeared to this past week, Hester can reveal that the bubbly blonde is, well, shall we say `taking a well-deserved break' after suffering from a bout of what can only be described as nervous tension -- on air.

Hester's source informs her that during last Thursday's seven o'clock bulletin, our Kate was highly amused by a particularly moving piece about the problem of birds cluttering up the airport runway -- and promptly had an attack of the giggles.

Ever the trooper, Katy managed to keep a straight face and carry on through the rest of the broadcast, allowing her true feelings to show only when off camera.

Alas the powers that be at VSB failed to see the funny side and subsequently gave the glamorous newsgal a bit of a carpeting.

The outcome? Well those in the know say that Katy was immediately suspended for a week without pay -- which no doubt wiped the smile off her face.

Hester believes such punishment simply for possessing a sense of humour a tad harsh and only hopes that Kate is making the most of some rare free time.

Keeping with VSB, Hester knows that Royal Gazette reporters have long got used to listening to their stories read over the air during the station's Inaction News's morning bulletin.

But Tuesday's broadcast had one of the paper's journos spitting out his corn flakes in disgust as Chris Lodge recounted the Gazette 's story about a stabbing at a Hamilton nightclub.

In his typically breathless style he told listeners that "informed sources had told VSB news'' that the stabbing was gang-related.

No kidding Chris! Of course we couldn't expect Inaction News Central to reveal their sources -- especially because, like the rest of the story, the informed source was the Gazette 's front page.

Hester hopes for Chris's sake that his local store never sells out of copies of "the daily'' as he likes to call it, otherwise what would he fill his broadcast with? But if VSB doesn't exactly have the hungriest of newshounds around, Hester can understand why.

She hears the station's heavyweight newsman Bryan Darby was less than pleased when a fridge clear-out at Inaction News saw his rather ancient sausages dispatched to the waste bin.

Big Bry protested to anyone who cared to listen that his wife had made them and promptly retrieved them for a microwaved sandwich.

It's quite touching when you think about it.

And still with VSB... Hester is not a huge cricket fan but, like the sick and shut-in, she does enjoy hearing the soothing tones of C.V. (Jim) Woolridge commentating on county games on Saturdays as she potters about in her garden.

So you can imagine her disappointment when she tuned in a few weeks ago to listen to the Voice of Summer and got the BBC World Service instead.

It seems that Jim and his sidekick Sean Tucker got down to Sea Breeze Oval early only to find that all of VSB's remote broadcasting equipment had been locked up the day before in Booth Hall -- the location for the Serious Crimes Inquiry -- and no-one with a key could be found! Still, Hester is told it could have been worse. Like so many of these things, the "County Match of the Century'' between St. David's and Bailey's Bay turned into a damp squib as St. David's got into trouble early, got out of it later and then batted out the rest of the day. And cricket fans wonder why so many people find the game dull.

Now like most women of a certain age, there's nothing Hester likes more than a bit of pampering.

So when she was invited by a particularly distinguished and most gallant gent to a break at one of the Island's more up-market guesthouses (separate rooms of course), last Labour Day weekend, she jumped at the opportunity.

Sadly, what began as a relaxing session of stress-free self-indulgence developed into a bit of a nightmare when it came to the evening meal.

After an afternoon by the pool Hester was looking forward to a romantic candle-lit dinner and suitably got dressed up to the nines.

Hester will spare you the details suffice to say a series of dining disasters culminated in yours truly having to swap entrees with her companion -- although a devoted carnivore, Hester can't stand the sight of blood and her well-done sirloin was anything but.

And when Hester's companion decided to end the evening with a nightcap he discovered that the bar had closed for the night and no staff were in sight -- at 11.30 on a Saturday evening! Memo to Tourism Minister David Allen: Forget the overseas trips, hotel deals and rubbing shoulders with the Gombeys. Until you make poor service a capital offence our visitors are unlikely to make a return trip.

And the name of Hester's weekend retreat? Sorry to say The Newstead on Harbour Road was the culprit. Not all things change for the better it would seem.