Beynac Chateau Chapel Canvas Print

The chapel of the Château de Beynac in the Perigord region of France. This view looking down from a turret of the fortress on a very misty day shows the 12th Century chapel perched 150 metres above the Dordogne River. One can just make out the riverside highway at the foot of the vertical cliff face.

Some of my friends wonder why I have changed my name from David to Dai. The short answer is that I haven’t. My parents, sisters and immediate family always used Dai (but pronounced “day”) as a short form of David — a nickname if you like. However, it appears that the Welsh adopted the name "Dai” (pronounced “die”) as a short form of Dafydd (pronounced “Dahveth”) the patron saint of Wales and also known as St David just across Offa’s Dyke. Why Wales? Well the name “Wynn” means fair-skinned or white in the Welsh language and my ancestors were certainly from around those parts (others were from Ireland and Cornwall, but paid full fare to sail to Australia. None was transported in chains I might add). Dafydd, being the Welsh version of...