A beautiful late autumn afternoon for digging, sky blue sunshine still warm. We turned the turf, and covered the whole area up with plastic last December on Boxing day - 10months later - perfect digging, beautiful rich soil! Blackcurrant, gooseberry, raspberry and rhubarb will all be going in next month to boost stocks of delicius home grown fruit.
Once back indoors, I have been making Christmas mincemeat using the Seville oranges that have been soaking in rum for a year. Think it's going to be great, but I may need to make some test pies...

 

So near so Spar, the Spar shop on Orford Rd is stocking both my damson and sloe gin, thanks to manager James for giving it a punt!
And also hurrah for the dark and inky wonder of blackcurant and vanilla vodka! It's finally ready and I have spent the evening bottling and labelling ready to stock the shop tomorrow.

It's been a busy weekend for Mother's Ruin, after making a brief appearance to caper and skip at Vestry House Apple Day as part of Sharp Morris dancing side, she's been out to Epping in search of sloes. No it's not a scene from the Argentinian Pampas, but the open vista of the Chingford Prairies where the hunt for purple gold continues in the autumn sunshine.

Raspberries from the garden and sloes from the River Lee looking ethereal as they settle slowly into their flagons for the next year. Colour and flavour slowly staining and infusing and intensifying.

Mother's Ruin took a small break from braving ferocious hedgerow prickles and stashing away autumn ripened sloes in her best nylon shopper, to visit Stansted Mountfitchet Toy Museum. Highly recommended day out in deepest Essex.