Save the Bees

During these dark times, my great friend Karma and I stabilize ourselves by talking on the phone about what we call ‘the beauty alongside’. These conversations are often about creative stuff we are both working on, but sometimes it is a photograph of a giant flower that has suddenly bloomed overnight in her garden in Mauritius, or my ex-husband’s new puppy Dash (the name of Darwin’s favourite dog). Bees are some of those creatures that fill my heart with hope. Their methodology and organisational skills are an inspirational example of how to get things done successfully. As a schoolgirl before I got my Saturday job in the local chemist’s I used to read my mother’s book about how to make your own beauty treatments. One simple recipe was to smear honey all over your face as honey’s antimicrobial
properties act as a natural antiseptic - great for spots and skin texture. I still do this sometimes, especially if I can lay my hands on some really good organic, untreated honey. A recently discovered source is @localhoneymanuk - a London based breeder and raiser of honeybees who will deliver your honey subscription direct to your door. I am involved in campaigning for the banning of bee-killing pesticides, especially as the government has inexplicably granted an emergency authorisation of the deadly neonicotinoid Cruiser SB for the fourth year in a row. A single teaspoon of this neonicotinoid is enough to be a lethal dose to 1.25 billion bees.
Yes, BILLION. It is a no brainer. One in three mouthfuls of food depends on pollinators and without bees we face the imminent collapse of our ecosystem.
This is what you can do about it. https://www.standbybees.co.uk

More Sunday Stories

Dad and Me on Horses

Dad and Me on Horses

This is a photograph of me and my dad. I wish it wasn’t so blurry, but it is immediately recognisably me and him. Funny to think of dad in a yellow jumper. I...

Letters

Letters

Today I received a letter – a rare occurrence. This one arrived in a pale grey envelope with elegant spidery handwriting. It reminded me of being at school and the intense relationships between...