Is it just me or are bees massive this year?

One just flew close to my head and it was so big, my fringe wafted up.

A follow up: if she were minded to photograph a massive bee to demonstrate its size, what might you imagine a reasonably intelligent woman thinks to use for scale?

Here is a picture without any scale. Does anyone know what the plant is? I stuck it in the shrubbery years ago and can’t remember.