Downstream

was darker and mistier, and
running more into the sky
every moment.’ It’s a
peaceful interlude in Thomas’
story of growing up in a
children’s home during the
Second World War, as he
floats happily on his back
among the stumpy green
islands. He also swam near
Hampton Court Bridge in the
River Mole, a tributary of the
Thames, ‘a deep and languid
river, with fish in its olive