Ode to a laundromat

I don't know if anyone else feels the same way I do about laundromats. I find them immensely calming places. I love sitting in enforced relaxation, reading a book, knitting or listening to a podcast, whilst listening to the soothing hum of the dryers.

Today I discovered, by pure accident, a laundromat hidden under some shops up a side street. It was like stepping back in time about 40 years. There was absolutely no pretension about it - old travel posters on the wall, black and white TVs that didn't work, faded handwritten notes explaining which machines didn't work and one very comfy chair in which to read. On a wet Sunday afternoon I was the only one there.

And I am even more resolute to not buy a clothes dryer...