Wednesday 24th December - All 25 seen - Steer 35 continues to limp slightly, but his walking showed further improvement compared with yesterday

At 09:40 this morning, steers 220, 228, and 271, along with cows 72 and 214, were browsing gorse near ///sizzled.rolled.maps on Sandy Hill. They were all very friendly, coming over to say hello and enjoying plenty of strokes and rubs. Afterwards, they continued grazing on grass and gorse as they made their way east toward their favourite corner. All appeared happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

By 10:05, the remaining twenty cattle were spread out near Horse Pond, mostly grazing, foraging for acorns, or resting. Older steer 33 was lying comfortably in the bracken south of the woodland by the water’s edge, with youngster 230 grazing nearby. Youngsters 222 and 227, along with yearling 271, were foraging for acorns on the soil bund in the pasture to the south. They were all very friendly and paused to enjoy long neck and back scratches.

Shortly after I arrived, the herd split into two groups. Most continued east to forage for acorns among the fallen leaves southeast of the pond, near ///bead.hires.deflate, including Sussex cow 1396 and steer 1626. The three steers from earlier walked with me as I made my way along, with steers 33 and 230 having already joined them by the time I arrived.

Meanwhile, a group of eight—including the remaining five Sussex cattle, steers 35 and 219, and cow 234—climbed the steep slope up to Hungry Hill, where they joined the initial group of five cattle foraging for acorns near ///sage.badly.tower.

Despite the demanding climb and his injury, older steer 35 reached the top without needing to pause. When I caught up with him at 11:20, he was still showing a slight limp on the uneven ground, but this was noticeably improved compared with yesterday. He was bearing full weight on his injured ankle while foraging and allowed me to check the injury and take a few photos. It was encouraging to see such clear signs of recovery.

Shortly before 11:40, I returned to the first group, who were beginning to settle down in the sunshine to rest and chew their cud near ///care.either.speech. Older steer 21 was still foraging for acorns on the far side of the path to the east, while steers 20 and 230 were lying comfortably in the bracken nearby. All twelve were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

Just after noon, as I was preparing to leave, I revisited the group of thirteen on Hungry Hill. They had moved around 200 metres west and were browsing gorse and other leaves from trees and bushes. They, too, were relaxed, content, and looking well. I said my final goodbyes at 12:30, leaving them all grazing peacefully.

The cows were all good today.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!!

Tuesday 23rd December - All 25 seen - Steer 35 continues to limp, but his walking is much improved since Sunday. Continuing to keep up with the herd.

At 10:35 this morning, steers 220, 227, 270, and 271, along with cows 72 and 940, were grazing among the gorse in the pasture opposite their favourite Sandy Hill corner. They were all very friendly and enjoyed plenty of strokes and rubs. Cows 214 and 234 also popped their heads out of the gorse to greet me before returning to graze in the thicket at the edge of the slope. All eight were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

Youngster 230 was grazing alone further down the hill among the gorse near ///health.risks.share. Although by himself, he appeared perfectly content. He’d snagged his front right ankle on some branches, but the small trace of blood wiped away without issue. He took a break from grazing and happily leaned in for a long, satisfying neck and back scratch.

When I made my way back to the top of the hill, yearlings 270 and 271 wandered over looking for a bit more attention. At that point, I noticed that the rest of the herd—previously spread out grazing in the gorse west of the initial group—had drifted to the far western end of Sandy Hill. I said my goodbyes at 11:25 and headed west to catch up with them. Along the way, I passed older steers 20 and 30 standing deep in the gorse at the top of the hill; both were looking well.

By 11:40, the remainder of the herd had gathered near ///graph.paths.stump, southwest of James Bond Pond. A few were browsing gorse in the bushes to the east, but most were resting and chewing their cud. Youngster 222 came straight over to greet me and enjoyed his usual neck and back rub. The rest of the group were just as friendly as I made my way around checking on them.

Steer 35 was resting and chewing his cud but stepped forward—straight into a large puddle—to greet me. He let me to check his injured ankle, which looked less swollen than it had over the weekend. Just before noon, the group set off east along the path south of the pond. I walked with steer 35 as he followed; although he was still limping, his walking had improved noticeably since Sunday, and he appeared far more comfortable. He kept up with the herd, who remained mindful of his injury and didn't move too far ahead.

The cattle soon reached the area near ///swift.fuse.myself, where they stopped to rest or graze among the heather and gorse. Several came over for further greetings and happily accepted more strokes and rubs. After a while, some of the Sussex cattle settled down to relax in the heather. I said my goodbyes at 12:50, leaving them content, relaxed, and looking well. As I headed down the hill, I found youngster 228 and cow 940 grazing near Longbottom.

I then returned to the first group on Sandy Hill, where six cattle were still grazing in the gorse near ///ending.tile.hound. At 13:05, older steer 30 was grazing on the slope near ///disarmed.bond.hands. Nearby, cows 214 and 234, along with steers 227 and 230, were resting comfortably in the bracken about 30 metres to the northeast. Rather than joining them, steer 30 climbed the hill to rejoin steer 20 grazing in the gorse bushes.

Aside from steer 35’s injury—which is showing clear signs of improvement—the cattle were all good today.

Monday 22nd December - All 25 seen

 Between 08:30 - 10:30

All have been seen in 3 areas this morning with the first group at ///fence.often.shapeless which was a group of 14 along the path adjacent to Sandy Hill Road. This included 035 Buzz. When I first saw him he was just standing normally so putting weight on his leg with the limp. 

The second group of eight which included the 7 Sussex’s and 030 were at ///shelter.remarking.outings which is at the easterly end of Sandy Hill just before the downward path to Horse Pond. 

The third group of 3 were at ///scans.bills.closet. This group of 3 was 224, 940 and 021. 021’s tracker was not showing on the map so I guess it has a flat battery.

On my way back 219 had joined the Sussex’s. 

I found 035 again who was looking better than when I saw him on Friday. Also met Chris who had a good look at him and also agreed he looked better than he did in Friday.

With exception of the mighty Buzz all the cattle were good this morning.