It's a dark and rainy Sunday afternoon in Walthamstowand the wind is getting up. No need to go out, I've just lit the fire the house is warm and I'm conducting important research into lavender gin. The dried flower buds have been steeping in the gin for a week, and now I'm adjusting strength and sweetness. The light scent of the lavender perfumes the air and the taste is a delicate floral wonder - but quite tricky to keep testing and tweaking without needing a quiet nap...

It's not all back garden idyll and romantic vistas in the life of a one woman urban farmer and artisanal sloe gin maker y'know...
Mother's Ruin braves the no 34 to Barnet Church to make the fortnightly run to the cash and carry for wholesale gin and vodka supplies. Incase you are wondering, you can get 12 litres of spirits and 10 kgs of sugar in a shopper - anything more and it's impossible to haul onto the bus.
Shoulda learned to drive....

It's been a busy few days at the palace - lots of lovely art trailers dropping by to say hello and try a little sloe gin! Thank you to everyone who supported me with getting the premises licence it was very much appreciated. Between times Mother's Ruin has taken a little time to go and see some fellow art trail exhibitors, some favourites are Cat Boy's wonderful bears, the Travelling Zoological Museum, Delores Rocket, a fabric kebab shop complete with flyzapper in Images in Frames and the group show at St Barnabas Church. 
Due to such busyness it's been all hands on deck at the raspberry patch

Walthamstow comes together

The tiny gin palace had it's opening day on Saturday  to coincide with the beginning of the E17 Art Trail. At last the shelves were stocked and the pictures were hung. The good people of Walthamstow were busy letting the EDL know they weren't welcome in Walthamstow, so it was quiet in the market. But we still had a good day and it was lovely to meet people out on the trail.

Mother's Ruin East London Gin Palace has been granted her premises licence! The palace will be opening for the sale of sloe gin and other delicious and fortifying tinctures from Saturday 1st Sept. The opening coincides with the E17 Art Trail and the shop will be hosting Cock o' the North, an exhibition of minature paintings of chickens and black and white photography of Cumbrian wrestlers. There are lots of other great exhibitions in and around Wood St Market, and we are doing a late night opening on Thursday 6th Sept. Be lovely to see you if you came by for a visit!  

As is traditional over the bank holiday Mother's Ruin embarked on a useful and worthy project.. Bottling the damson gin - 6 hours of aromatic gin fume exposure and 120 bottles later...  I'm now all ready to open up later this week in time for the E17 Art Trail.
And if that weren't enough, braving escaped lions in Essex and the gloomy promise of summer thunder storms I went for a ramble along the River Lea and discovered the sloes were ready for picking. Look at these gorgeous sapphire beauties.

They're here!

The last week of fine warm weather has brought the late summer raspberries to ripeness at last. Sweet, fragrant and gorgeous - difficult not to eat them all as I pick them...