Aliens?

This flower has its own little set of flying saucers. Dropped in from another planet? While the stick insect in the extra photo dropped into the bathroom this morning (no, he's not holding a pink bun, just has his foot (?) on part of the tile pattern). He's not the type we're used to, which has a long head, and is in fact longer in all directions.

Early rising pays off up here in the hills. The light is amazing, the birds are busy and the flowers are at their best. I woke early, but spent some time communing with the cat, who was up on the bed. Strictly forbidden when she was young and fit, but now she's old, thin and ailing, I make some exceptions.

I should also have been gardening a little earlier too, while the bed was in the shade. Last time I took the cat to the vet's, the gardener gave me some Michaelmas daisies (he was busy cutting and chucking out all the flowers and was puzzled that I should want them, rather than see them binned (what's the point of planting them, if you chuck them out as soon as they flower)? Anyway, he happily gave me some, which lasted nearly two weeks in water, then decided I should have some plants too. After weeks in pots in the shade, they've finally graduated to the flowerbed. I had to weed it first and the sun was scorching by the time I finished, but they're all in and I think they'll survive. Not sure I will.