I would like to thank Alex at Milk the Cow hugely for his work and, perhaps even more importantly, his patience with me.

I have just returned from France where I have been working for the best part of four months. I discovered many good restaurants but what I found the hardest to find, when my apartment was without a washing machine, was a laverie!!

One night, one of my colleagues was explaining how brilliant Google Maps had been in planning one of his exotic adventure holidays.  I wondered quietly  if Google could plan a similar, military – like, agenda for a …. laverie.

Secretly I typed in my location ( what was the name of the rue I was living on ??) for all the talk about the power of the internet, google could not help me with that, so out I trekked to remind myself of the name of the rue my residence was on. First mission accomplished.

I then typed in the information and voila… all the information , two different routes to walk there,,,,

I ventured out the following day and to my frustration, I ran out of rue ( or road ).  All I could see was a very large bar with many students there.  As I looked around, trying to blend in with French student chic avec my sac/sacs de laverie…. I saw some machines by the side of the bar!!

Just as I was beginning to sense light at the end of the tunnel, another problem arose as there was no detergent for this endeavor. I was informed that you ‘ask for powder’ at the bar (!!!!) Armed with my white stuff , I then had to choose from the menu, – no, not foie gras or canard – but which machine to use. They all had superhero names attached – finally my chance to be SUPERMAN; but alas he was busy – the only machine available to me be was MISS MOUSSSSE…..At first she resisted me, until I realised I hadn’t paid her enough. Then on to SKULLBONES who did all the drying, hélas his bones were un peu damp.

I now appreciate that in addition to my normal preparations for productions , checking critical editions, orchestral parts and other such musical matters, I now have to find extra time to research Les Laveries du monde!