TWiP: Rainy Days and Peonies ⋆ Polka Dot Cottage

I had a birthday this week, and something I was worried about came to a happy resolution. Also, we have beautiful peonies to photograph and bring into the house to enjoy… I’m standing here on the threshold of a long holiday weekend, knowing that I have a lot to be grateful for. Truth be told, I nearly always feel this sense of gratitude, but I rarely put it into words. I thought maybe it was about time I did that.

Have a lovely weekend!

So, what is This Week in Pictures?

It’s a roundup of the photos I shot for Project 365 (the occasional when-I-feel-like-it theme for 2017 is “words”), plus some snapshots I posted on Instagram during the previous week.

📷 = taken with my Canon DSLR
📱 = taken with my Samsung phone

Ready? Cast your mind back to this time last week…

Saturday

365 📷: 2017 140/365 – Game night tonight! And a little early birthday celebrating for me. I made fruit crisps with the last of the 2016 frozen Summer berries, and the dregs of the baking supplies left in the kitchen cabinet.

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#picturespring #gettinggrounded It's a lot cooler out today than it was yesterday. My weather app says a 26°F difference! This is more spring-like anyway ⛅
A post shared by Lisa Clarke (@lclarke522) on May 20, 2017 at 2:11pm PDT

Sunday

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#picturespring #afreshface cut the first peony today. There's one more open so far… Currently debating whether to bring it inside, too, or leave it on the plant 🌸
A post shared by Lisa Clarke (@lclarke522) on May 21, 2017 at 9:11am PDT

365 📷: 2017 141/365 – Oh, Lazy Sunday, how I love thee. I’ve got my crochet hook in hand, a project nearing completion, and a Doctor Blake Mystery ready to go.

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#picturespring #apastelpallet it looks like my 6-year-old Day 7 prompt is different than the current Day 7 prompt, but that's ok. Pastel colors fit right in to what I wanted to photograph anyway 🌸🌸. So, I brought the 2nd peony inside, and they're living among the mandala garden that is my nightstand 😉
A post shared by Lisa Clarke (@lclarke522) on May 21, 2017 at 11:01am PDT

Monday

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#picturespring #thesparkleofspring Today's prompt calls for rain drops and mother nature has been kind enough to provide them. Apparently she is going to continue to be so kind all. day. long.
A post shared by Lisa Clarke (@lclarke522) on May 22, 2017 at 5:41am PDT

365 📷: 2017 142/365 – It’s my birthday, and I’m trying out the gift Neil gave me. It’s a waterproof case for my camera! It’s a little silly to be using it now, but when the summer is here, I will be stalking my parents’ pool in search of the awesomest underwater shots I can get 🙂

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Quiet time 💟
A post shared by Lisa Clarke (@lclarke522) on May 22, 2017 at 6:56pm PDT

Tuesday

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#picturespring #everydaybeauty This prompt would have been a lot easier, back when I worked from home 😉. Just the same, I do try to inject some beauty into my work environment… Crochet coasters, paper straws, my vacation photos as computer desktop backgrounds…
A post shared by Lisa Clarke (@lclarke522) on May 23, 2017 at 6:00pm PDT

365 📱: 2017 143/365 – My favorite quilt is back on the bed. (It’s a beach quilt, so it has been sandy for the last week.)

Wednesday

365 📷: 2017 144/365 – It’s a plethora of peonies getting ready to pop. I am waiting for 3 to be ready at exactly the same time, so I can clip them and take them in to work to liven up my desk.

Thursday

365 📱: 2017 145/365 – Another rainy day. At least the little droplets are pretty 🙂 [Taken at work.]

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#picturespring #heartshapedworld Is it me, or has this been a more rainy May than usual? I decided not to go out at lunchtime, so I wandered around the office building looking for hearts for today's prompt. Found some in the second floor lobby 💚
A post shared by Lisa Clarke (@lclarke522) on May 25, 2017 at 9:57am PDT

Friday

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#picturespring #awakening Looking around our rather chaotic front garden for something appropriate for this prompt, I was so happy to see a few buds on the yellow rose plant I'd bought in memory of my grandmother six years ago. It doesn't bloom every year (see above re:chaos) so I'm always happy to see it when it does!
A post shared by Lisa Clarke (@lclarke522) on May 26, 2017 at 1:40pm PDT

365 📷: 2017 146/365 – I’m exercising an incredible amount of self control by leaving this flower on the plant. It smells incredible, and I’d really love to put it on my windowsill. I’m hoping by leaving it there we’ll get more than two of them next year. Fingers crossed!

Thanks for taking a peek at this week’s photos! If you want to see this stuff as it happens, please feel free to follow me on Flickr and/or Instagram.

I may already have plans to blog about some of these things in greater detail over the coming week, but be sure to leave a comment if there’s something in particular you want to know about!