The joy of receiving

Yes giving presents is great. But receiving stuff is equally enjoyable don’t you think? I’m not talking presents here, but it was indeed something free that I got. (Read on if you’re wondering why I’m showing you a load of blue bottles. No, I haven’t gone mad.)

Ever heard of Freecycle? It’s an amazing network of people, local to you wherever you are, who list things they no longer want and are happy to giveaway. A way of saving landfill space if you will! Some people might wonder if those people have ever heard of Ebay, but some things are just too bulky or simply not worth anything anymore even though they are in perfect working order. If I didn’t have a little bit of self-restraint, we’d have a dishwasher and a fridge freezer in the living room by now, waiting to move into our new house. But since we don’t actually have the house yet, I thought it might just be a bit premature…

Anyway, on Saturday morning, one lovely lady was giving away some empty Neal’s Yard bottles, she thought someone might have a use for them. I jumped on this. I knew those bottles could come in handy, and the Neal’s Yard glass blue is really gorgeous (and I'd already missed out on a massive jar of buttons and felt gutted - you have to quick with this).

Someone obviously loves having baths with bubble baths. I'm not judging here.

The bottles got washed, labels were removed and flowers were picked. Oh yes, I totally channelled my inner Concha (this woman is such an inspiration) and created the most lovely (if I do say so myself) arrangement. Ephemeral I know, but so pleasing to the eye. Such a nice way to bring in a little spring freshness into our home.

Next on the Freecycle wagon? A coffee machine that makes cappuccinos, espressos and filter coffees. We were actually thinking of buying one of those, so when we saw it turn up on the email list, we couldn’t resist. I’ll show it to you when we actually make our first cup of coffee with it. (We’re totally missing espressos from our trip to France where they down those little cups like shots of cocaine). But first, I’ll follow my mother’s rather cool reply to my over-excitement: make sure you clean it first darling. Yes mother.