I spy, with my big round eyes...

... could it be?

.. yes, I think it is...

My Green Swap parcel from Annie!

So I think we should have a proper look, shouldn't we? It all looks both environmentally friendly and delicious, which has to be a good combination...

So, Annie, who lives in Scotland, very generously sent me a vibrant pink string bag,

a whole selection of thrifted buttons on a green/blue/brown theme,

Green and Black's organic mint chocolate (!!!) and some recycled gift tags,

a locally produced banana chutney, into which Ben is already making great inroads,

a pincushion Annie made from scraps of old workshirts and ribbon, and next to that a jar of ethically produced nutmegs,

and a home made book and pencil pouch - my Morning Pages book is going to fit just perfectly in there, and Annie added some handmade, recycled books for me to use when I've finished this one!

Check out the pencils from New York:

And finally, our adorable little knitted owl, who is conveniently on a peg.

Here's the whole set of gifts, in the lavender patch. Thank you so much, Annie! How did you know I needed nutmegs, that I am obsessed with buttons, that we are nearly out of chutney and that my Morning Pages book really needed a holder? A Green Genius...

Now, looking terrible in the artificial light, here are the parcels I sent Annie.

Some recycled tags ('great minds...') on map wrapping paper, covering...

... well, you'll just have to pop over to Annie's to see! Thanks very much to Emma and Rachel, the lovely ladies at That Little Bit Greener, for hosting and organising a really entertaining but thought-provoking swap. We really did think Green - do you see your Easter tissue paper, Vicki? I used it to post to Annie (while I was in Scotland, avoiding airmail) and then Annie used the same paper, and even the same box, to post back to me! I found this a really inspirational, yet surprisingly stress-free swap. Brilliant.