Monthly review – August 2020

And just like that, summer already seems to be over. For many different reasons this month didn’t really go as planned, but I still feel like I managed to enjoy it and take a much needed break from all the things I always feel like I “need” to do.

My favourite things about this month:

  • Summer: I always feel like if the temperatures doesn’t reach at least 35°C, it’s not a proper summer. Well, finally we got to very high temperatures, in the South of France and in Brussels. It didn’t last very long but I’m still very happy that I could go out in the evening without being cold!
  • Renewed motivation: in the past few months I struggled to feel motivated for my side projects, which mainly involve language learning. However, somehow, I got super motivated to work on a lot of different things lately. This new impulse gave me so much energy and a whole dose of positivity, which is why I put it on my favourites!
  • Eating out: with the warmer weather and some eased down safety regulations it was possible to go out more and try out new restaurants while feeling safe, so I discovered a lot of nice new places to take a drink or eat a delicious meal throughout the month!

My latest trips and adventures

  • I started the month on holiday in the South of France with my family. Living in the countryside is so relaxing and peaceful, and luckily, I could find a lot of time to read, rest and feel refreshed. Not gonna lie however, going back to work was hard!
  • This qualifies mostly as a new chapter but after a year living with flatmates, I decided to rent my own flat and move out. Even though I will definitely miss living with a bunch of cool people, I’m also very excited to find a new routine and decorate my new flat! For this reason, I mostly spent my weekends and evenings in August visiting apartments.

Hobbies and distractions:

  • I published my very first book review some weeks ago, about a book that I loved. Check it out if you are interested!
  • During my week off I managed to read a lot, which was something that I had missed. Motivated by this small win I kept reading regularly even when I went back to my usual “work” routine, though at a slower pace. I recently finished a book called The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls. In this book she talks about her childhood and all the hardships she had to go through when she was a kid. It was very interesting and frustrating at the same time, as I was constantly mad at her parents for acting a certain way.

General thoughts:

I feel like this month was full of surprises and unexpected events, good and bad. It was also the first time in a very long time that I couldn’t go to the South of Italy for the holidays, and the first time that I had to work full time every day, so it didn’t feel like “August” that much.

Looking forward to:

  • Moving into my new flat! For now, it is mostly empty and I still have a lot of things to bring there, but I will move in shortly and couldn’t be more excited to find a new routine and pace of life there. I truly feel like a new chapter of my life is starting! (Side note: the picture is NOT a picture of my new flat ahaha)
  • Even though I am not ready for the summer to be over yet, and I am hoping that the month of September will bring warmer days (it already feels like end of October here), I am quite excited to go back to warm drinks and cosy evenings. Not quite ready yet, but I feel like I have to start getting excited for it otherwise I will just be disappointed ahah!

How was August for you? What are you looking forward to?


Posted last year in August:

Cooling down in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse
Geological wonders of Roussillon
The Ars Electronica Festival in Linz


Related posts

Responses to “Monthly review – August 2020”

  1. Lashaan Balasingam @ Bookidote Avatar

    August sure didn’t feel like any August I’ve ever known before hahah I’m glad to hear about the decision to move out and go on to live independent of flatmates. I just know from the knowledge I have through Caroline that without flatmates, you’ll at least be spared of UNNECESSARY drama hahahaha I hope September will bring you even more exciting and fun stuff to do and enjoy! 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Juliette Avatar

      Ahahah for sure drama is almost part of the daily life now 😂 I’ll be happy to leave it though I think I will need to adjust to the life of living alone again! Thanks Lashaan, hope September will be great for you too!

      Like

  2. PoojaG Avatar

    Great post and that pasta looks delicious!!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Juliette Avatar

      Thanks a lot! The pasta was indeed delicious! 😍

      Liked by 1 person

      1. PoojaG Avatar
  3. Rebecca Avatar

    August was a CRAZY month for me, but thankfully things have settled down. It’s great that you’re finally moving out on your own, as flatmates (lovely as some are) can be a bit too much at times, let alone constant lack of privacy. You know you’ve made it in adulthood when you can afford to live on your own! Wishing you the best for September and beyond. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Juliette Avatar

      Thanks a lot Rebecca! I’m thrilled to live alone again, but this time in a proper flat instead of a tiny studio (when I was a student)! Glad to hear things have settled down a bit for you! I wish you all the best for this new month 😊

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Markus + Micah Avatar

    Glad you had a lovely warm summer. Your pasta looks delicious! What language are you learning? All the best for your new flat!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Juliette Avatar

      The pasta was amazing, I’m still craving it! 😁 I am learning Russian and Spanish! Thanks a lot for your comment and I hope September will bring many positive things your way!

      Like

  5. AndysWorldJourneys Avatar

    i remember being in the south of France and it was 38 and over every day for a week and it was unbearable! very nice that you can relax this way in 2020! Im sooooooooooo jealous! 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Juliette Avatar

      Yes the temperatures can get really high but I love it! Hope you could still enjoy your stay 😊 Thanks a lot for reading!

      Like

  6. Jirah Merizz Avatar

    Glad you had a lovely August! My August was kinda… meh. Here’s to a more productive and happier month! Have a lovely September. x

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Juliette Avatar

      Hope you’ll have a better September too! Thanks for reading 😊

      Like

  7. Happy Panda Avatar

    Moving into your own flat sounds amazing. I was supposed to do that this year too but due to the pandemic I’m at home with my family. Have fun decorating your place!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Juliette Avatar

      Yes, I can’t wait for everything to be settled! It’s a good thing that you came back at your family’s for the lockdown though, at least you had some company! 😊 Thanks for reading!

      Like

  8. With love, Caroline Avatar

    Yes, this month was so different from our usual August! 😭 I’m sure we’ll appreciate the South of Italy even more, when we’ll go back next year, though ! 😄 I can’t wait to watch the pictures of your new apartment and how you decorate it! 😍 I wish you a wonderful month and I hope your motivation will last throughout the year! 🤗

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Juliette Avatar

      Thank you for your nice comment! I’m sure we will appreciate it even more, that’s true 😍 I wish you the same for the month of September!

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Photosatriani Avatar

    Your August in the south of France seems to mine in the south of Italy … by the way when you and your friend Caroline (… with love …) come to the south of Italy next year, we absolutely have to see each other !!! … the pasta will be even more good and beautiful to look at than the one in the photo! I assure you that your life will change for much better now that you have given the step to live alone …. there is no more return … you will stay “DA DIO” !!! You will tell me in a very shor time!
    I read your first book-review … another great step full of a lot of daring … but I believe that everything you touch turns into “gold” … so … continue!
    Un abbraccio!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Juliette Avatar

      Yess, these types of holidays are the best 😊 We should definitely try to meet next time we go to the South of Italy, hopefully next year!! Can’t wait to eat delicious food!
      I am really really glad I moved out in my own flat and can’t wait to have everything in order now (it’s such a mess at the moment!)
      Thank you so much for your nice comment and for reading! 😊 Un abbraccio!

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Tanja Avatar

    great for moving out!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Juliette Avatar

      Yes, I’m almost settled now and I’m super happy! 😊

      Like

Leave a Reply to Happy Panda Cancel reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s

Create a website or blog at WordPress.com

%d bloggers like this: