Another month is nearly over, so I’m going to do my monthly retrospective. A bit earlier this time.

Given that there are just two work days left, I don’t expect anything major to happen, as long as this heat wave doesn’t knock me out.

The beginning os the warmer part of the year is often a time of cautious optimism, though I’ve still been a bit too busy, especially at work, which has made an impact on my free time activities.

When it comes to reading, especially in the first half of the month, I managed to be quite regular while I was finishing up the re-read of a series I mentioned in May, and after that, I went through some bits of my own drafts again, looking for inspiration when it comes to adjusting some passages. Which, fortunately, led to some ideas. At the end of the month, I found out that a series I was reading earlier this year has released another book, and I’m making steady progress through it.

I also managed to do a couple of smaller edits in my own project, though I’m still lacking specific ideas for the two major scenes that are in need of a rework. That said, even these smaller adjustments are helping to deal with the rough edges that are still present.

When it comes to hiking, the month was much more successful. As usual, I’ll cover that in more detail in a separate post, but I’ll say I ticked off one long-term goal I had, and I’m looking into planning a hike that would tackle another long-term challenge. I also had the second week of the month off at work, mainly to get some rest, but also because my uncle is here for a month, and I hoped to go hiking with him. The weather had a different idea, though, so we only went once.

Towards the end of the month, it became a bit more challenging, as Europe is facing a major heatwave, and even the hills aren’t a good retreat from the heat when there’s not a single cloud in the sky. And the heat makes it harder to rest and regain energy afterward.

Once again, the heatwave was a contributor to skipping a blog post one weekend – ideas seem to be harder to come by when it seems the weather is hell-bent on frying my brain.

So, for now, I’m hoping that this insane heat passes soon. I hope the July weather won’t be too much trouble, whether for you or for me.

See you next time.