New Mirror Poem Train Travels England – Wales

After all the exciting art of the last five days I’m sure you’re ready for some exquisitely poetic words now. So I imported Marc Latham’s latest Folding Mirror poem into the Greenygrey world pronto.

Hi, it’s William Wolfsworth, poetry correspondent at the Greenygrey inspired by legendary Romantic poet William Wordsworth.

Mirror Poem Railway Journey

English: Wrexham-Shrewsbury railway (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The poem celebrates some of the great scenery and places from the east coast of Yorkshire to the west coast of Wales: over the Pennines into Lancashire,  then down to Cheshire and Shropshire in western England before crossing into Powys in eastern Wales for more mountain scenery.

The travel creation myth of the Greenygrey says that it was born along that line, with lots of greenery still on the ground, and cloudy skies often above.

Scarborough (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Train Journey Rise and Fall, Either Side of Offa’s Dyke 

English east coast

Scarborough Yorkshire Coast queen

steaming south through Malton to York

Leeds, Huddersfield and Dewsbury

West Yorkshire canals and mills

trans-Pennine

often white in winter

villages high on hills

Stalybridge signals

City of Manchester

stadium seen before centre

South West to Shrewsbury, Welshpool past Halfway House

castle visible from town

Powis county name

Newtown notifies

farms rising in altitude

sometimes grey clouds hidden

traws-Cambrian

Mid Wales rivers and farms

Caersws, Machynlleth and Dovey

riding parallel Estuary widens to Borth

Aberystwyth Cardigan Bay pier

Welsh west sea

A view of the village of Llangrannog which is on Cardigan Bay, Ceredigion, Wales. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Francisco Goya BBC Documentary by Robert Hughes

Hi, it’s Harry Silhouetteof-Wolfhowlingonhill, TV correspondent at the Greenygrey, and Andy Wolfhol, creator extraordinaire at the Greenygrey, bringing you a read one, read one free bargain British bank holiday blog bonanza from your favourite value for reading website. After the Chinchillas of Goya (COG) played a central part in Grey’s final battle in its epic comedy-fantasy classic Werewolf of Oz: Fantasy Travel by Google Maps I was thrilled to see the BBC had a documentary about the Spanish painter who created the chinchillas.

Capricho nº 50: Los Chinchillas de Goya, serie Los Caprichos (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Robert Hughes on Goya: Crazy Like a Genius

Robert Hughes searched for the truth behind the myth of Romantic-era artist Francisco Goya in the BBC documentary, after Hughes had written a book on the subject; Goya was Spain’s leading artist during the Napoleonic occupation of the country.

Cover of Goya

It was a fascinating tale, depicting Goya as a classic artist who tried to use his art to show the reality of human nature, and how he was prepared to suffer the backlash likely to follow. This was epitomised by his self-portrait wearing a matador uniform, symbolising his role as a provocateur.

Hughes thought Goya had no option but to try and paint the world as he saw it, as to hide the truth he needed to release might have sent him into madness.