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The Bypass This is the Coleraine/Limavady Road at the beginning of the month. The trees in the background belong to the Drenagh estate. Limavady's bypass seems to be bang on time. Building a bypass seems to be a spasmodic affair. One day you see hundreds of lorries fighting for living space with dozens of huge JCBs - the next day everyone seems to have gone on a holiday or else sits around waiting to see what the weather might do. A couple of days later - just when you think it is safe - they all come back, lustily hacking away at the countryside.

The Smell of progress Our editor - who knows the smell of a good story when it hits him - was totally overwhelmed by the stench of this one. No matter where you went in Limavady on Tuesday, it was a breathtaking experience. We finally established that the stench came from the sewage works. Because the by-pass is so close they have to connect some new pumps and they seized this opportunity to let us all know how much we need them.

The Ferry is back   The new Greencastle/Magilligan ferry is called Foyle Venture - and why not? The new boat doesn't seem to be much younger than the old one, but it is painted a striking red and white and is much larger. Up to 45 cars can cram its decks, which should reduce waiting times on busy days. Because the boat is larger it also provides a much smoother passage. Our newshound Tudor was certainly impressed and didn't whimper once during the trip.

A Special Olympics' Torch   The special Olympics are being held in Dublin this year and on Saturday the carriers of the Olympic torch came through Limavady. Considering that they had just come from Athens, they looked remarkably fresh as they pounded chanting down Main Street. The large crowd applauded lustily and even the weather produced a sunny smile.

There was a tent with a reception committee of local dignitaries in the Connell Street car park and as the runners finally stopped to display the torch, they were welcomed by another round of applause from the audience. Various speeches were held by various people. Our editor thought that Brian Brown's mercifully brief oration was by far the best. The runners shook hands with some of their admirers and off they went rushing to the next venue. As they left, five hundred balloons were released which - like the crowd - went their separate ways.

The Beehive is no more   Another Limavady landmark has disappeared with the demolition of the Beehive restaurant. The building used to be Limavady's post office in days of yore. Its restaurant days ended some years ago and the place had been empty ever since. At this rate there will soon be no old buildings left in town at all!

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