Tuesday 13th October - All 25 seen

At 16:05 this afternoon, steers 33 and 197 were resting peacefully on the hillside near ///matter.snapper.folks, southwest of Horse Pond. Cow 1396 and steer 1640 were grazing contentedly nearby, but both stopped to say hello and enjoy plenty of strokes. While I spent some time with steer 197, steer 33 got to his feet and wandered over to join us, happy to stand close and chew his cud. All four were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

At 16:20, cows 212 and 940, along with steers 210, 219, 222, and 227, were spread out grazing near ///gratitude.says.payer, about 230 metres to the northeast. Youngster 222 spotted me approaching and came straight over for a lengthy neck and back scratch. He had clearly been in Horse Pond shortly before, as he was still soaking wet. The others took turns coming over for strokes before returning to their grazing. They all seemed happy and healthy. After saying my goodbyes, cow 212 and steer 222 walked southeast alongside me to the next group of cattle, with youngster 219 trailing quite a distance behind. He frequently mooed to let me know he was following.

By 16:55, steers 20, 21, 30, 35, and 270, along with cows 72 and 211, were well spread out grazing in the pasture near ///lodge.ready.laughs, enjoying the last of the sunshine. Youngster 230 was a little further east, munching on sweet chestnuts beneath the tree near ///mows.labels.gradually, while Sussex steer 1626 was grazing deep in the gorse bushes in the pasture to the south, on the far side of the path. They were all friendly, wandering over to say hello and enjoy plenty of strokes and rubs before returning to their grazing. The nine were all happy, relaxed, and in good condition. As I was leaving, steer 210 also arrived to join the group.

At 17:30, cow 214 and steer 228 were peacefully grazing in the pasture near ///steam.glue.tells, close to the main path. Cow 234 was grazing on the grass alongside the path, while youngster 220 was enjoying plenty of heather beyond the gorse bushes on the far side. Steer 227 and cow 940 had joined them too. The girls both enjoyed lengthy back scratches before crossing the path to graze some more.

Finally, at 18:00, steers 219 and 271 were grazing among the heather and gorse in the pasture near ///brew.shows.truck, south of the Lookout. They both seemed a little surprised to see me, but took turns coming over to say hello. Both seemed perfectly happy. Although they weren’t far from the rest of the herd, they seemed happy to carry on exploring by themselves. After I said my goodbyes at 18:15, they wandered off the other way, heading into the gorse bushes to the west.

The cattle were all good today.

Tuesday 13th October - staff check. *Cattle moving to Camp 45 on Friday*

Majority of herd relaxing near Sandy Hill except 271 and 217 who were lurking suspiciously in the sandpit area. All looked good. 

Cattle will be moved to Camp 45 for TB testing this Friday 16th. 

Sunday 11th October - All 25 seen

At 09:45 this morning, a mixed group of nineteen cattle were spread out grazing along the length of Sandy Hill. They ranged from youngsters 230 and 270 grazing among the gorse near ///email.dolls.trails to cows 214 and 234 grazing on the grass at the western end of the hill. The vast majority were grazing in smaller groups among the gorse bushes along the edge of the hill or further down the slope. They were quick to spot me through gaps in the bushes, poking their heads out before coming over to say hello. They were all very friendly, with most enjoying having loose pieces of gorse brushed from their backs before settling in for long neck and back scratches. Youngster 228 was especially friendly, following me as I went around checking on the others, occasionally giving me gentle nudges and head rubs to remind me that he wanted more attention. The cattle gradually drifted west along the hill, continuing to graze contentedly.

By 10:55, steers 20, 197, and 219 were grazing deep among the gorse bushes on the hillside near ///taxed.pods.fattest. As soon as youngster 219 spotted me, he quickly made his way out to say hello before settling in for a lengthy back scratch. He enthusiastically leaned into the scratch, shifting his weight from side to side whenever I reached a particularly itchy spot.

At 11:15, I was incredibly lucky to spot cow 211 lying on a patch of grass behind some gorse bushes on the hillside near ///nooks.multiply.fixture as I took a shortcut to look for steers 210 and 1640. She was absolutely fine but seemed to be enjoying some quiet time away from the others. She thoroughly enjoyed a long neck and chin scratch before thanking me with several licks. The boys were grazing in the gorse bushes about 110 metres further west. I wouldn't have found cow 211 today if I hadn't taken that route.

At 11:30, I found cow 940, the final member of the group, grazing on the grassy area southwest of James Bond Pond. She had wandered west and joined cow 234 and steers 33 and 220, who were all having a rest. I said my goodbyes shortly afterwards, leaving all four to make their way back towards Sandy Hill. All nineteen cattle — cows 211, 212, 214, 234, 940, and 1396, and steers 20, 21, 33, 35, 197, 210, 219, 220, 227, 228, 230, 270, and 1640 — were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

At 11:50, the remaining six cattle were grazing beneath the Lookout near ///ironic.tasty.truly. Steers 217 and 271 were the first to spot me approaching and wandered over to greet me. Youngster 222 had been grazing further west but quickly came wading through the mud to say hello before settling in for a lengthy neck and back scratch. Cow 72 appeared about ten minutes later, making her way through the dense bracken to the northwest. She stopped for a drink from a pool of water before coming over for some attention. Steers 30 and 1626 were grazing further west, but steer 30 gradually made his way back to the group. I said my goodbyes just after 12:30, with steers 30, 217, 222, and 271 and cow 72 all resting peacefully and chewing their cud. Steer 1626 continued grazing contentedly on his own.

The cattle were all good today.

Saturday 10th October - All 25 seen

At 09:45 this morning, steers 35 and 220 were grazing together in the thicket near ///whisk.dance.waxes, west of James Bond Pond. They both took turns coming over to say hello. Steer 35 particularly enjoyed a lengthy back scratch, while youngster 220 seemed happiest simply standing by my side, relaxing and chewing his cud. Both were content, relaxed, and looking well.

By 10:15, Sussex cows 211 and 212, Sussex steers 197 and 210, and youngster 219 were grazing near the pillbox on Sandy Hill. Cow 1396 and steer 1640 were grazing at their favourite Sandy Hill corner, but soon wandered along to join the others. They were all very friendly today, wandering over to say hello and enjoy plenty of strokes. Youngster 219 enjoyed a neck rub but quickly positioned himself for his usual back scratch. Cows 211 and 212 were very affectionate, both enjoying long neck scratches before thanking me with head rubs and a few licks. All seven were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

At 11:15, steer 228 and cow 234 were browsing among the gorse bushes at the edge of the path near ///finders.mailings.food, having climbed from the pasture below. As I spent some time with youngster 228, I heard some rustling behind me in the gorse. A few minutes later, steer 33 emerged from the bushes. They all came over to say hello, with steer 228 and cow 234 both enjoying plenty of fuss. After saying my goodbyes, I followed the path down the hill, where I came across youngster 270 grazing in the gorse bushes near ///novels.weep.food. He was happy to be approached for a check, enjoying plenty of strokes before returning to grazing.

At 11:45, cow 940 and steers 20, 21, 30, 227, 230, and 1626 were spread out grazing among the bracken west of the path near ///asserts.quote.embers. Youngster 230 was completely hidden by the bracken but eventually gave himself away by poking his head through the foliage. They were all very friendly, stopping their grazing to greet me and be checked. All seven were happy and healthy.

Finally, at midday, youngsters 217, 222, and 271 were relaxing and chewing their cud under the trees next to the entrance to the covered reservoir, near ///bulky.views.unite. Cows 72 and 214 were peacefully grazing among the heather to the southwest. Youngster 222 enjoyed a good neck scratch while resting but soon got to his feet for a lengthy back scratch, shuffling backwards and forwards to ensure I reached all the itchy spots. The girls took turns coming over to greet me, content to stand by my side and chew their cud. While I was spending some quiet time with youngster 271, youngster 222 came wandering over to let me know that he needed more attention, greeting me with a series of head rubs. He soon settled in for another neck and back scratch, happy to soak up what seemed like endless attention.

I said my goodbyes shortly before 13:00, with all five resting peacefully. Steers 30 and 1626 were still grazing on the hillside but were making their way down to join them. Cow 940 and steers 20, 21, 227, and 230 had moved out of the bracken and were now grazing in the pasture further south, near ///rave.bless.upon, gradually making their way up the hill. At 13:15, cow 234 and steers 33, 228, and 270 were resting and chewing their cud on the grass near ///deflect.snipped.chaos, opposite the start of the path down the hill.

The cattle were all good today.