Souvigny Eclectic architecture in a village in Central France Canvas Print

The village of Souvigny in the Auvergne region of Central France is famous for its abbey. This is a watercolour painting of a small street in Souvigny in which the architectural styles of many centuries contrast with relatively modern apartments. The wonderful coloured stonework of an old church is complemented by several stone houses of varying building styles.

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...