Where have I been? You might well ask. Just the small matter of a lopped-off wisdom tooth and a sewn-over gum. Who would have thought that such a small area of the body could cause such widespread havoc? I swear I can feel the throbbing in my toes during the hour that my painkillers stop working. (An hour before I’m due the next lot, the previous dose of painkillers seem to wear off – it’s like clockwork. And all of a sudden I go from a normal person, existing in a normal way, to someone who is internally combusting inside their own face.)
Anyway, I have been offline and sleeping as much as possible, because on top of the tooth issue (it was a coronectomy I had, due to the facial nerve being too close to the root of the wisdom tooth, making it risky to remove the whole tooth) I’ve had a bad cold, a cough, and two small people to run around after. So you can imagine me propped up on a pile of cushions, trying not to mouth breathe but being forced to eventually succumb because of the blocked up nose, and not wanting to blow said nose because of the pain the pressure causes in the mouth. What a bundle of laughs I have been.
But at least I’ve spent my time off wisely – developing an obsession with bees. Bees used as a motif, not the actual real-life bees, though apparently real bees are necessary for the survival of mankind – indeed, the survival of the planet. Ironically, they are the only insect not to have made it through the cracks in my bedroom window and into the warm – I’ve had a ladybird infestation, woodlice, some flies, a spider as big as a side plate and various long, weird things with lots of legs. No bees. But since I plugged up every single gap in my creaky, beautiful Georgian windows with toilet roll I haven’t had any unwelcome visitors at all, so that’s an achievement to put on my CV. Also bog roll is cheaper than double glazing, as it turns out, and doesn’t get me on the wrong side of English Heritage and their Listed Houses rules. Bonus achievement.
Here are my favourite bee things – I’ve ordered some of them already, as Christmas presents, but I may have to go back for another M&S cushion because it’s such an absolute steal!
(links marked * are affiliate links, for more info see disclaimer below post)
I’ve something of a (costly) penchant for Elizabeth Scarlett stuff – she makes the most beautiful makeup bags and small accessories. She’s always right on the button with her designs – palms, pineapples and now bees.
This gorgeous new design comes in charcoal or pale pink – I’ve bought the makeup bag in charcoal (£25 here*), but I think that the eye masks* are equally delicious.
I thought this key-ring was very smart; I’m not particularly a lover of key-rings as I only have one set of keys and I can never bloody find them anyway, but I do quite like attaching things to my travel bags or carry-on suitcases so that I can identify them easily. Whatever, I’m waffling aimlessly, but this would make an excellent little stocking filler, if you’re already on the hunt for Christmas presents. (Gah!) It has something of the Hermes about it (luxury goods store, not sh*tty parcel delivery service) and costs £12 from John Lewis here*.
Bee cushions were what started my whole bee-finding internet session off in the first place – in particular, it was the bee cushion from amazing textiles and print company Timorous Beasties. This style comes in a few different colourways, but I love the richness of the gold and am very tempted to buy it for myself as an early birthday present. It’s £125 at Liberty here* – but a whopping 60cm x 60cm, so quite the statement piece.
They also do a smaller cushion and I have to say that the golden one is very tempting too – velvet-backed, 40cm x 40cm and the perfect sort of sheeny shiny thing to jazz up the sofa. If you don’t have a dog that humps things. Or kids. Or a cat that scratches things. OK then.
But wait! What’s this? An embroidered bee on a bijou pillow, punchily graphic and a mere £12 from good old M&S here*. It by no means has the same luxurious vibe as the Beasties cushion but if you’re after a quick bee fix then at just over a tenner it’ll take the sting out of your purchase.. (Hohoho.)
Let’s get onto some more substantial bee offerings – things that can’t be humped, scratched or cut with scissors. I tell you what, I wouldn’t be displeased to find this bottle opener sitting in my kitchen drawer. It’s more like a precious piece of pirate treasure than a fully-functioning tool! You can find it here* at Amara.
I’ve always rather liked the Rory Dobner “Queen Bee” series, but then I like almost all of his drawings. I have his cat cushion and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever bought – it makes anything I rest it on or prop it against looks wonderful. The bee plate* would look great in my line-up of fancy plates I’m envisaging on the dresser in the kitchen, but I’ve been stalling with my plate collecting because I’m worried I’ll become someone who collects plates. And then it’ll be teapots, and then novelty mugs. And then I’ll be on one of those TV shows where they have to tunnel into the house through twelve feet walls of hoarded magazines to interview the resident.
Amara have loads of bee things, actually. It’s like a Bee Mall. A Bee Mart. Massive storage trunks printed with bees, bee cocktail sticks, bee napkins, bee wellies, even a bee candle snuffer. You can find all of the bees by clicking here* or typing “bee” into their search box.
For those who want to wear their bees, look no further than Gucci. (I say look no further than Gucci but please do look further than Gucci because it’s bloody expensive and I’ve found some much cheaper options below. It was the lazy, throwaway sort of sentence that makes me feel shame but not enough shame to think of something better.) This chunky bee is big enough to hinder most essential hand movements and make playing the guitar/clarinet/flute virtually impossible. Find it – and a few variations – at Gucci here*.
Here’s a finer, more delicate bee ring for those who want to retain hand function (the Gucci one is honestly very chunky!) – the attention to detail here is superb. Adjustable band, gold-plated and it’s a snip at £18 – find it online here*.
Oh and I have always been very fond of the Alex Monroe bee necklace (Liberty here*) which comes in yellow gold and rose. He also makes these gorgeous floral initial necklaces* which would make amazing Christmas presents if you’re trying to find something special for someone – er – special.
Right, back to bed for me, I’m hoping that tomorrow I’ll be fighting fit and right as rain. My to-do list has reached epic lengths and all the time I’ve been resting my brain has been thinking of new things that I should be starting.
I swear my brain has its own separate energy source – like a generator that kicks in during a power cut, but selfishly only serves one part of the building. My brain is a bit like a granny annexe – joined to my body but only by a small corridor. It shares central heating with the main house and allows the main house to pay the council tax and water bills and also the mortgage, but when the shit hits the fan it locks that internal door quicker than you can say “each for their own”. Gets its own Tesco delivery, has a secret little mini-fridge that’s just big enough to store a pint of milk and some tiny bottles of champagne. The granny annexe brain is having a fully-lit, fully-heated dinner party when the body of the house is totally in the dark, shivering and weeping under two duvets and a Calpol-stained dressing gown.
Hi Ruth, can you tell me where the lovely chest of drawers with a house on top is from please?
Yes, it’s from Andrew Martin xx
I love all of these items, especially the Alex Monroe necklace!
Danielle xx
http://www.fashionbeautyblog.co.uk/
Bees are the new owls!
Bees are the new unicorns!
Bees seem to be all the rage here at the moment as we head into Autumn! I actually just purchased a lovely bee shirt dress last week and am completely obsessed! You might even be able to get it in the UK? https://www.frenchconnection.com.au/p/bee-shirt-dress/701137-3385-06-fc.html#q=Bee&start=1
Ooh I LOVE that!!
My brain is the same – whenever the rest of my body needs a lie down, it kicks in full force, adding new plans to my already neglected to-do list. Right now: Purchase bee stuff!
Anne|Linda, Libra, Loca
Hahaha, sorry xxx
Hi Ruth, Lizzie King recommends cherry juice to get kids to sleep. All info found on her blog “Lizzieloveshealthy” – cherry sleep tip. Posting this here because I’m hopeless with social media. xx
Thank you! Did try that for a few weeks with a small amount of success, but quickly stopped working! xx
Gosh things in dentistry must have moved on somewhat! When I was 10 years old I had to have 4 teeth removed all at the same time to make room in my mouth as it was crowded and my teeth would have been all wonky otherwise. No stitches, no prescribed pain relief, just sent home with four bloody holes in my gums. Funnily enough I don’t remember being overly traumatised by it, but I think kids deal with these things better than adults. So glad it was done though because I have beautiful straight and even teeth as a result. I hope you feel better soon Ruth, sounds like you’ve had a rough old time. Xx
I had all my wisdom teeth out at once last year and staggering painkillers was the only way I wasn’t a sobbing mess all day(just part of the day) – i had to set alarms to get up in the night to take them or I would wake up feeling like my jaw was wired shut! BUT it gets better xx
Yeah I have been setting the night alarm but last night my bloody iPhone ran out of battery! I woke up two hours late in agony!! Haha.
Fun facts about bee motifs: the worker bee is usually associated with work and industry (and this is why it’s a potent symbol of Manchester, the centre of the Industrial Revolution). The bumblebee, meanwhile, was Napoleon’s trademark; he had them all over his imperial drapery. So they can be a signifier of either labour (small ‘L’!) or despotic power, depending on your mood…but the Gucci is most definitely the latter.
Love this (Ruth you are the only beauty blogger I know who could curate such a refined readership!)
This made me think of https://thebeesknees.co. You may need a bees knees journal in your life :-) Good luck with the recovery!
You poor thing – I can sympathise. I was in the same position last year. Three teeth extracted including a wisdom tooth (which had to be sawn in half before removing), stitches, and then developed pneumonia 2 days later! Couldn’t drink, eat, sleep or breathe properly – and we were in the process of moving interstate!! God it haunts me to this day!
On a happy note – I love the bee theme, very French.
I don’t know if you’re able to physically put anything on your gum but after having some pretty painful extractions I swear by Anbesol Liquid – might be worth a shot just to bridge your hour gap between painkillers? Also completely knocks the socks off Bonjela for mouth ulcers!
On the bee front Olivia Burton has some beautiful bee themed watches and jewellery that won’t break the bank
Argh big sympathy for the dental issues! I had two molars out in August and it was far more traumatising than a caesarean and hurt for six weeks… I wished I hadn’t bothered!! Rest as much as poss, and painkillers are your friend, soon enough you’ll be better and the pain will be a distant memory xx
Same, I’m sure c-section recovery was easier! x
I sympathize about the wisdom tooth. Dentists really ought to offer better pain relief after a procedure. I now insist on a prescription for heavy duty pain relief before they get started. For uninterrupted pain relief try adjusting when you take your painkillers. Work out how many you are allowed in 24 hours. Start with two tablets then take one every three hours or whatever interval will allow you have the correct dose over 24 hours. Don’t do what I did and take every available painkiller in the house and then ring NHS Direct at 3am begging for something stronger. Hope you feel better soon.
You missed out Guerlain’s bee embossed perfume bottles from your list.
Apparently taking all the tablets together is a stronger, more effective method, but I do wonder whether staggering them is better for me as I get an hour’s gap where there’s just barely any relief! Probably all will be well again by the time I’ve bloody worked it out! : )
Yes, Bee beauty is a whole other post upcoming!
x
I was going to suggest the same thing. When pain gets the chance to take hold it’s that much harder to get back under control, so trying to avoid that gap if you can is better than letting it wear off and then having to chase the pain so to speak. Chronic pain patient here with RA, so I do feel your pain xx
Can’t wait to catch you on the next episode of Hoarders!
I’ll be there! : )
Alex Monroe is a bloke, he was even on QVC back in the day selling his wares.
Oh my God I knew that! I remember the QVC! Haha. Why did I assume a woman? How odd!