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September 2015

Limavady and the surrounds Until we can persuade our editor to write something, we thought we would show our readers this picture of Limavady and the surrounding area. Clicking on the picture or this link should show you a very much larger version.

The Benevenagh air show During the first weekend of this month the Portrush airshow was held. As sometimes happens during this occasion - given favourable winds and weather conditions - some of the show's planes stray across the Roe Valley. Our picture shows the nine jets of the famous Red Arrows  flying over Benevenagh mountain on their way to Portrush. A sight not seen just every day! Certainly the three donkeys on the bottom left of the picture have never seen anything like it.

The Aghanloo Show The yearly sale and show of ewe lambs took place in Aghanloo on the 14th of this month. If you ever felt the need to buy a pen of ewes - this is the place to go. Not only are the animals first class, they are also the cleanest ewes you will ever see . Every one of them looks as if she has had a shower first thing in the morning, followed by a fur-do and dye job. It appears that the judges fall for this every year!

Creatures on Benevenagh Here are two of those creatures our photographer came across the other day. You are looking at members of the species pipistrellus pygmaeus - better known as  soprano pipistrelles. Soprano pipistrelles are quite common in Northern Ireland and they are the smallest of the nine native bat species. When these two beauties were asked to comment, they just had this to say: (Played at a pitch 35 times lower than comes naturally to our soprano friends)

Filming at the former Roe Valley Hospital There was some feverish activity - in a relaxed sort of a way - around the old Limavady Workhouse, better known as the Roe Valley Hospital. Several vans and  studio vehicles were parked in one corner of the car park and people in yellow  plastic jackets were walking about everywhere. As far as we can make out, the company which leased the Shackleton Barracks at the old air base in Ballykelly are working on a film called "Property of the state". Part of the film is shot in our very own old hospital. One room in the building has been fitted out with hospital beds and now looks so much like a proper ward that our reporter must assume that they had to turn people away who  were trying to jump the long hospital waiting lists and get treated here and now! Three bright lights had been mounted outside the new ward shining brightly. Whether they were trying to fool audiences into thinking that the sun was actually shining in Limavady or for some other purpose, we don't know. There were even two nurses to be seen. Whether they were real or just actors we could not find out.  Isn't it confusing when they shoot films about hospitals inside old hospitals?

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