Sweet Thames flow softly. There are stretches of the river between Kew Bridge and Hampton Court which are sometimes described as 'arcadian'. From Tudor times onward a series of palaces, grand houses, landscaped gardens and hunting parks were created among the meadows and woodlands.
 I took a stroll from Richmond to Twickenham today on the north side of the Thames path. On a chilly but sunny day it's still one of the more idyllic parts of London. And here's another vision of arcadia: