We were on our weekly shopping tour of the Antalya bazaar when we came across the fruit and vegetable vendor's stall offering the fruits of the prickly pear (group of Opuntia) for tasting and sale.

Only a few sites of this bizarre species of tree you will find anymore that once was responsible for the success of maritime trade but also contributed so greatly to the navies of the ancient Great Powers - the cedar of Lebanon.

Those who drive across the country these days will not infrequently marvel at the gleaming red splendor of the poppies on the edges of the grain fields, which have meanwhile found their way into many gardens.

Just slightly cloudy skies and not too powerfully warm sunshine had once again tempted us to hike to the forest swimming pool near Rastenberg, which we wanted to reach via the now well-signposted donkey path above Billroda.

The tour around the weekly market, which is still limited, shows, despite Corona, that there are also some imports possible every year despite many bottlenecks, including rhubarb, whose time is just beginning for us.

I can well remember when, as part of a carpentry project, I suggested making a model window out of robinia. In its time there was a great contradiction and objections came from all sides: absolutely twisty, hard and hardly machinable, high wear of the tools, etc.

Many gardeners see thistles just as weeds, but there are very attractive species and varieties that even enhance gardens and plantings.

Among all the hazelnut exporting countries in the world, Turkey took first place in the world with sales of 1.29 billion US dollars, the country supplied about 90 other countries with hazelnut products.

Insect and bee deaths due to environmental reasons, missing flowers as a source of food and urban sprawl, all issues that are far too little known to us to be able to guess the scope and the consequences of this.

Slowly our meeting of authors in Halle approaches to the end. We took advantage of the rainy, but already autumnal morning for last talks.

The poppy has always been a distinctive cultural companion in our arable and cultural landscape due to its blood-red flowers, a splash of color in the otherwise predominantly monotonous gray monocultures.

After checking in at the camper pitch and aligning the caravan directly opposite the Monastery Andechs (by the way one of the "hopefully soon not more" few pitches, which also allows caravan as a user, because caravans are now self-sufficient in the water and sanitation, too), we go on a first reconnaissance.

The wonderful May air with blue sky, light wind and the smell of blooming greens invited us to take long walks. Especially if someone loves nature, the different scents in the air are worth every walk.

This year, despite the pandemic with all its restrictions, April was a month that gave us unexpectedly much sunshine but unfortunately too little rain.

Our hike along the Lossa creek not only gave us deep insights into the meadow landscape with its typical small plants on and in the water, along with the alder, birch and willow trees on the shore.

In times when, due to the reduction of movement and meeting with others because of the risk of infection, when even while travelling the maximum number of people is two and you should avoid meeting with other people as completely as possible, it is getting difficult for many to even leave the house.

Looking outside at this time of year, it is mostly gray and rainy in the west of the republic, so it is important for us to add a little color just before Christmas, why not with a small article about the cornflowers that always met with us during the summer, often accompanied along the way, whether during the hikes or the bike tours.

Once more on the road in the area of Lake Constance, our goal this time was to attend the spectacle "Southside", the fair and exhibition for off-road fans and their sometimes very unusual vehicles.

Slowly they ripen, so their red color becomes stronger, the smell more intense until the first fruits fall - the pomegranates, which grow almost uncultivated along the paths and shine so much beautiful in the sun.

A short stopover at a small chapel within the surrounding trees on the way up to the ridge of the Jablanica mountain range along the border between Albania and Macedonia had attracted our attention with regard to striking greens at the trees.