Who was St Donat?

Or Dunwyd? Nobody on the Internet seems to know much about him, though there are two places named after him in Canada and one in Wales. He may have been one of the first to bring christianity to Wales, may also have helped to deter the Vikings. St Donat's castle in Llandunwyd, Wales is quite famous, being the home of the Atlantic College.

There is some speculation that St Donat was one of the first to bring christianity to Wales and help deter the Vikings. Chris, irreverently mispronouncing his name, calls him the patron saint of Tim Horton's.

We did not fly as far as St-Donat-de-Rimouski yesterday, but we did fly to the other St-Donat (above), in the Laurentian Mountains north of Montreal. The reason for that destination? Several of us in four aeroplanes wanted an excuse to fly in the calm weather, while it lasted, so that we could look down over the coloured trees in this lovely area. The higher hillsides are already beginning to lose their vividness, beginning to acquire that "soft grey" of late autumn that my friend Elva loves so much, whereas the valley woodlands have not got that far, as you can see from the colours in the two pictures below.

In the town itself, stuck to the wall of a "quincaillerie", I came across an intriguing piece of artwork, made entirely of pieces of hardware, reinforcing my opinion that the inhabitants of Quebec have a decidedly artistic streak:

Chris and I did not have time to see the art exhibition at the parish church; we had to walk back to the airport for a speedy departure over Lake Ouareau, because we were expected at David and Elizabeth's house to share their Thanksgiving Dinner. That turned up to very enjoyable too. It does seem we have a great deal to be give thanks for (not least our family and friends).