Monthly review – February 2021

I said in last month’s review that February was one of my least favourite months of the year and that I was looking forward for it to end, but it actually wasn’t that bad, and it turned out to be a pretty good month with some pretty cool highlights!

Favourites:

  • Snow: We had some snow in January, but it was nothing compared to the first weeks of February when we had pretty heavy snow that stayed for days. Of course, here it never lasts a long time so you don’t actually have time to get tired of or annoyed by it, and it just makes everything feel magical, even though it’s absolutely freezing!
  • Baby turtles: I told you last month that I had adopted a turtles’ nest through an initiative of two amazing bloggers… well the babies hatched this month and Markus and Micah sent me the cutest pictures of my baby turtles making their way towards the sea. I was so proud for my babies, and contributing to something like this made me want to do more of these things in the future, so I will try to make it a goal for March to find new ways to help the world a bit!
  • Warm spring-like days: Can you believe it? The sun came back at the end of February and the days got warmer, so much that it really felt like spring was already there! Flowers and trees started to bloom again, and you could actually see that the mood of the whole city getting better. It was the perfect occasion to enjoy some “quiet” moments in the park – an idea that almost everyone else in Brussels had…

Latest trips and adventures

The main square in Bruges
  • This month has actually been filled with adventures, that I just didn’t have the time to report here, but the first one was a trip to Bruges with my boyfriend, at the beginning of the month. I had already been last year with my mum, before the pandemic started, and the experiences couldn’t have been more different: from a rainy city, crowds of tourists everywhere and countless small touristy shops, to a beautiful weather, and almost empty streets… it was completely different! I can’t wait to tell you more about this in another post.
  • Last week, I also visited the city of Antwerp, which is far from being as gorgeous as Bruges – which looks like a fairy-tale town. Even though the city in itself is not particularly beautiful, it was really nice to walk around there, browse the small and quirky shops, and enjoy the sun. Thanks to the spring-like weather I mentioned before, it was very enjoyable.
  • I am closing off this month’s adventures with a visit to the MIMA museum in Brussels, a museum of visual arts, which hosted an exhibition reflecting on matters such as technology, artificial intelligence and automatism. The exhibition in itself was quite small, but very interesting, and the artist’s use of electronic and digital means really made me think of my experience at the Linz Ars Electronica Festival.

Hobbies and distractions:

  • I started re-watching Harry Potter in January and continued this month. This time it was with the “middle ones”, including the 6th, which is one of my absolute favourites. I loved immersing myself in this magical universe again, and discovering again things that I had forgotten. This also really motivated me to read the books again… Yes, I know, I should watch and read new things before, but I just can’t help it! Are you the same?
  • I also continued my journey as a proud plant mama, buying new plants and taking care of my “babies”. Somehow, it just brings me a lot of joy to see them thrive, but it also comes with its share of frustrations as they are not always so responsive to my love and care… apart from that, they also make my space nicer, which in turn makes me very happy!
  • This month I managed to find some sort of routine, on some weeks, to dedicate myself to my creative hobbies, and it made me realise how much they are actually beneficial for my mood and health in general. I should definitely start prioritizing them!

General thoughts:

February just flew by, and it’s probably because it was packed with adventures and activities. In a single month we had sub-zero icy temperatures and warm sunny days that almost felt like summer. For this reason, I went out a lot more this month and I feel like I got out of the weird state of mind I was in at the end of January. However, I realise more and more how important it is for me to have a routine and some chill alone time, so I will make sure to make more time for that in March.

Looking forward to:

  • Going back to “normal”: this month, almost a year after the first lockdown, the weight of all the restrictions and the state of the world in general felt heavier than before, and I can’t wait to go back to a more “normal” situation, with open restaurants, no restrictions on travel and, most importantly, on the number of people you can see.
  • Quiet moments: in March, I want to focus on slowing down and enjoying the present moment a bit more, on building up routines and systems that work, and on aligning myself with my values and yearly theme. Hopefully I can find more balance during the weeks between alone/quiet times and adventures.

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


Published last year in February:

Going to a ball in Vienna
A short holiday in Catalonia, Spain


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Responses to “Monthly review – February 2021”

  1. Photosatriani Avatar

    Molto interessante la tua visita al MIMA….l’esposizione credo che sarebbe piaciuto molto anche a me che sfioro con la mia professione l’intelligenza artificiale e che mi chiedo sempre come questa possa essere messa al servizio dell’arte! Ciao!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Juliette Avatar

      Assolutamente! L’esposizione era molto interessante anche per la riflessione sul clima e sul futuro dell’umanità, e il ruolo della technologia in tutto ciò. Un abbraccio!

      Like

  2. Lookoom Avatar

    I agree that it is easier to like the snow when it only lasts long enough to take some nice pictures. This warm month of February already gives me the feeling that it is a kind of rehearsal for spring.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Juliette Avatar

      Yes! I usually hate February because it is a very gloomy and cold month, but this year it has been great! Hopefully spring and summer will be here soon! Thanks for reading 😊

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Markus + Micah Avatar

    Wow – traveling again! So refreshing to read this. I hope you are able to have more adventures beginning spring. Have you ever told me who your favorite Harry Potter character is? And sending you positive plant vibes so that you have happy days with your plants every day! Thanks for giving the turtles more airtime – spreading awareness is everything!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Juliette Avatar

      Yesss, here we can still travel quite freely within Belgium, it actually feels really good 😊 I don’t know if I told you about my favourite character, but it’s probably Hermione because I relate to her a lot 😂 but I also really love Luna and Snape! Which one is yours? Hope you’re all safe and well, thanks for dropping by!

      Like

  4. Rebecca Avatar

    February was a pleasant month, and I think it flew by due to the fact that it’s two to three days shorter than your average month, as it’s only 28 days in total. I actually did a good amount, including getting back into hiking again and trying out new restaurants in town. March will be a longer month, but I hope for a good one, as it is my birthday month! Hope you continue to enjoy 2021 and continue exploring Belgium!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Juliette Avatar

      It’s great that you got back into hiking! So far it’s been great, and I hope for you too! Happy birthday month 😊

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Lingo in Transit Avatar

    I love that photo with the purple flowers sprouting! You packed a lot in- I would’ve thought that restrictions were gone. I wished I had re-watched the Harry Potter movies when they were all on Netflix last year. I’ve seen the first few many times but I think the last 3, I had only seen once when it came out. HP is so close to my heart because I was the same age as they were when the books were released and remember discussing the books with my cousins (our little book club in our tweens ahaha). It’s been called a cult but I’m happy to be part of that one!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Juliette Avatar

      There are still restrictions but you can travel within the country quite freely (wearing masks and such is of cours emandatory), and the warmer days were the perfect occasion for that! 😊 I totally agree with HP, I read them when I was Harry’s age and it made it even more special! I too have seen the first ones much more, but I have loved rediscovering the last ones, there were actually many things that I had missed when I read them for the first time! Thanks for dropping by 😊

      Like

  6. ourcrossings Avatar

    Wow, just look at all those beautiful spring flowers and your little turtle babies, they are the cutest! 🙂 I am glad to hear you had a fun-filled February, especially the travelling part! Antwerp, in particular, the Antwerp Central Station and its grandiose design, has been on my travel wish list for quite some time. I really hope you gonna write a post about your trips around Belgium! We are still in a full-on lockdown without any travel possibilities at all – we have to stay within 5km limits which is unbearable! Enjoy the Harry Potter movies and have a lovely day. Aiva 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Juliette Avatar

      Thanks a lot Aiva 😊 Antwerp is really pretty and its station really incredible, and it feels more “human” than Bruges, which actually seems like a fairy-tale town ahah! I am currently preparing a short blog post about Bruges, and I hope I’ll soon get the time to post about Antwerp too! 😊 Here we can’t travel outside of Belgium but it is still possible to go everywhere inside the country… a 5km limit sounds horrible! Hope you’ll enjoy more freedom soon!

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Diana Avatar

    I reread all the Harry Potters last summer… I always feel like I should read new stuff too. And then I reread and rewatch things over and over instead.

    If you stumble across any plant tips, I’d love to hear them. I currently have a succulent that’s dying. Who knew it was so hard to keep a cactus alive? 🤦🏼‍♀️

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Juliette Avatar

      I’m glad I’m not the only one who enjoys rewatching and rereading more ahaha 😁
      I think the maint thing I learnt from taking care of my plants is that even though I want to give them all my love in the form of water, they actually don’t enjoy it that much so I try to refrain myself from watering them every day 😂 Also, I heard that some cactuses are actually really hard to take care of! My first baby (that survived more than a month) was a spider plant and it’s now thriving! Thanks for dropping by 😊

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Diana Avatar

        Hmmm, maybe I do water them too much. Or maybe I don’t fertilize enough. I’ll try to water them less and see what happens. Thanks!

        Liked by 1 person

  8. Stuart Danker Avatar

    Wow, those are some beautiful pics! And speaking of rewatching, I too had just recently gone on a Game of Thrones rerun run. Thanks for this post!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Juliette Avatar

      Thanks for reading! I also want to rewatch Game of Thrones, it’s next on my list!

      Like

  9. Lashaan Balasingam @ Bookidote Avatar

    It’s amazing how much you get done within a month without seeming to show any sign of tiredness! I’m glad to see how you broke the dullness-of-February spell and enjoyed it far more than you thought you ever could though. I wish traveling was much easier and less stressful but I think we’re slowly getting there despite the incoming 3rd wave. I hope March has been just as epic for you (I’ll probably find out in a couple of seconds now) but knowing you, you probably did 10x more things than in February! 😛

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Juliette Avatar

      Ahaha the good thing about monthly reviews is that I stick to facts and not feelings too much! If I were to write a weekly review on here it would just be full of “oh how tired I am” and “next week I won’t do anything” ahahah 😅 Thanks for reading Lashaan!

      Liked by 1 person

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