Completed 8th November 2026

  

 500 pieces

The three-toed or three-fingered sloths are arboreal neotropical mammals. They are the only members of the genus Bradypus (meaning "slow-footed" in Ancient Greek) 

Photo: @Sebastian, Adobe Stock.com

Editor: Cornelißen, Germany - made in China.

I visited the zoo in Dortmund

 It's been ages since I visited a zoological garden and it was about time. It was a cold but almost sunny day and here we are 

 

Kleinmann's tortoise (Testudo kleinmanni) - tiny and very quick. The critically endangered species is native to Libya and possibly extinct in Egypt.

 

 

Six-banded Armadillo (Euphractus sexinctus) are efficient diggers and form burrows to live in and search for prey. The armadillo is alert and primarily solitary. An omnivore, it feeds on insects, ants, carrion, and plant material.

 

A family of Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)

 

 

 Red-legged Seriema (Cariama cristata) is widely distributed in South America, occurring in central and eastern Brazil through eastern Bolivia and Paraguay to Uruguay and central Argentina. When they lay down for a sunbath, they look like they are dead which forced the Zoo to fix a board to inform visitors

 

The Himalayan Tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus) is a large even-toed ungulate native to the Himalayas in southern Tibet, northern India, western Bhutan and Nepal.

 

  The Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) is a medium-sized penguin. It resides in South America, along the Pacific coast of Peru and Chile.

 

Orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus)are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra. Fruit is the most important component of an orangutan's diet, but they will also eat vegetation, honey, insects and bird eggs. They can live over 30 years, both in the wild and in captivity. This Orangutan is a male and leader of the group of orangutans in the zoo.

 

 

The king vulture (Sarcoramphus papa) is a large bird found in Central and South America. While in flight, its wings are held flat with slightly raised tips, and from a distance the vulture can appear to be headless while in flight. This one just had fun eating a dove

 

 

The red panda (Ailurus fulgens), also known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China.

African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata) also called the sulcata tortoise, is an endangered species of tortoise inhabiting the southern edge of the Sahara Desert and the Sahel. It is the largest mainland species of tortoise in Africa. In the wild their lifespan is unknown but is believed to exceed 75 years.

A Serval (Leptailurus serval) is a wild small cat native to Africa. It is widespread in sub-Saharan countries, where it inhabits grasslands, wetlands, moorlands and bamboo thickets. This one was sleeping tight  

Completed 17th September 2026

 700 Pieces

Fields in Quito, Ecuador

by Yann Arthus-Bertrand 

 

Development process of a very special and almost vintage 700pcs-MB - updated 17.9.2026 and completed

Nature is the theme of a special marathon that started last weekend...

I chose this one and it gave me a heavy one

 Fields near Quito, Sierra region, Ecuador (0°17’ N – 78°41’ W). 

Step by step

 

 

 Located between the Western and Royal Cordilleras, the highlands of the Quito region enjoy the Sierra’s humid and mild climate, which supports the cultivation of grains (corn, wheat, barley) and potatoes.

Although agriculture now accounts for only 9.1% of the GDP of this country of 16 million people, it currently employs 25% of the workforce. It plays a significant role not only in the landscape but also in the country’s history: the agrarian reforms of the 1960s and 1970s, which ended the dominance of the large haciendas owned by Spanish settlers, did not resolve the problem of the unequal distribution of farmland.

 The most productive lands—those in the valleys and along the coast, devoted to export crops (bananas, sugarcane, coffee, and cocoa)—remain in the hands of wealthy landowners, while small farmers share the land in the highlands and barely make a living from their crops. However, poverty and inequality are on the decline in this country. Between 2006 and 2016, the poverty rate fell from 37.6% to 22.5% of the population. (source)

Please feel free to explore our beautiful earth in the photographer's portfolio of 113 countries 

I visited a church in Hagen, Germany - and remembered 9/11

 Childhood memories related to this wonderful roman-catholic church, dedicated to Virgin Mary, located next to the Osthaus Museum

The first Christians in the region date back to the 7th century—though the first documented mention of a place of worship does not appear until the late 11th century, and at a different location. In the mid-12th century, the old church was demolished and replaced by a Romanesque basilica. A baptismal font from that period still survives.

 

 In 1825, the church’s vault collapsed, but it was rebuilt starting in 1826 along with a larger church.

1943–1945 > During the first air raid in October 1943, St. Mary’s Church sustained only minor damage. In December 1943, however, the windows were destroyed. They were provisionally repaired by 1945. In March 1945, however, the church was almost completely destroyed along with Hagen’s city center.

 

The church was restored as early as 1954, and the altar was consecrated on December 11, 1954. 

 

60 metres long, almost 30 metres wide

 The “Double Madonna” is a characteristic feature of churches in the Sauerland region. 

This one dates from the 18th century.

 

 

 The huge cross was made by Paul Rautzenberg 1945

 

 

A baptismal font (early 21st c.), a sculpture of Jesus Christ rising from the tomb (mid 16th c.) and a romanian-orthodox cross (late 17th c.)

 

 

The high altar, dated 1656 

 

A sculpture of virgin mary, dated earliest 16th century.

 

This is where I lit a candle and prayed
 

 

Forum Meeting in Vallendar, Germany - jigsaw puzzles completed 28th + 29th August 2026

 A forum meet-up means meeting up with friends in a lovely hotel, having lots of chats, doing jigsaw puzzles and taking photos. Everyone brings something to eat; some sit working on a big jigsaw puzzle, whilst others like to do several small ones whilst chatting with different friends from time to time.

Last weekend, we met in Vallendar at a guesthouse run by the Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement. If you want to learn more about this worldwide community, please check wikipedia  ... the Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement was founded in 1914 in Vallendar, Germany.

Sunset at Vallendar Branch of the Rhine: A quiet, structurally diverse tributary of the Rhine that is well-suited for fishing. Recommendation: the Italian restaurant RIVA SEI

 

Here are the jgsaw puzzles I assembled with friends

 

300 Pieces 

Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano (Adobe Stockfoto)

Ravensburger Puzzle Moment 

 

300 Pieces

Night Owl Hoot - by Laura Audi

Ravensburger with large pieces

 

300 Pieces

Basilica San Giovanni in Laterano 

Ravensburger, Jubilee 2025 Limited Edition 

 

2x 54 pieces

 

Lovebirds and a Sloth

Ravensburger 

 

 200 pcs.

"Pool Party" by Jonas Loose

Ravensburger, "Puzzle Moment", 2024 

 

1000 Pieces

Fashionista - by Demelsa Haughton

Manufacturer: Ravensburger, 2020 

 

 

 4x 99 Pieces

Ravensburger "Puzzle Moments"

 

500 pcs.

"Cow Wow" manufacturer: Cherry Pazzi

 

 

A stroll in the park of a Benedictine Abbey

 In 2014 a group of friends travelled to Rome to visit the Vatican and give a present to the late Pope Francis. It was a very special atmosphere being in Rome and as a group, as well. It was outstandingly peaceful.

Since then we meet as often as we can and last saturday we finally met again.

Just enjoy the impressions of a perfect day in spring, a perfect sky and perfect sweets :-)))

 

The entrance to the church dedicated to Christ the King, marked with a huge door named the Portal to Paradise

 

Entrance to the shop where you can buy things manufactured in the Abbey

 

Entrance to the parc

 In an area located a little further backpart of the parc the monks create a new herb and vegetable garden

 

 

 After this long walk we met at the cafe and ended the visit with many memories of our trip to Rome

 

all photographies taken by me, April 2026.