Tuesday 29th September - All 25 seen

At 17:00 this afternoon, steers 20, 33, 217, 227, 228, 230, and 271 were relaxing and chewing their cud near ///caller.ghost.tables, west of James Bond Pond, while older steer 21 was grazing nearby. As I was approaching, youngster 228 got up and wandered over to greet me, quickly leaning in for a neck and back scratch. The others were happy to be approached for their checks, with several also standing up for back scratches. As I said my goodbyes at 17:25, they all drifted off to graze. All eight were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

By 17:30, cow 72 was grazing contentedly among the trees and bushes further northwest near ///bravo.scoop.roost. She was very friendly and enjoyed having the sides of her neck scratched while standing close. In the pasture to the north, on the far side of the path, steers 30, 210, and 1626, along with cow 212, were browsing leaves and gorse. All five were relaxed and in good condition.

At 17:50, cows 214, 234, and 940 were grazing among the gorse and bramble near the main entrance to the Gelvert reserve. Further west, steers 197, 219, and 1640, along with cows 211 and 1396, were grazing along both sides of the main path, enjoying a mix of grass, gorse, and bramble. Cow 211 was especially friendly, greeting me with gentle head rubs before thanking me with licks after a long neck scratch. The group carried on west towards Beacon Hill Road, with the group of three girls following closely behind. All eight were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

Finally, at 18:15, youngster 270 emerged through the gorse bushes along the side of the path near ///fills.renamed.aviators. He was quick to say hello and enjoy plenty of attention. In the pasture to the east, steers 35, 220, and 222 were well spread out grazing. Youngster 222 spotted me coming and wandered over to meet me. He was happy to just stand for plenty of scratches, shifting around enthusiastically when I found a particularly itchy spot. He was ever so affectionate, offering the sweetest head rubs and even some licks. Steers 35 and 220 were happy to take a break from their grazing to stand and be checked.  I said my goodbyes at 18:50 as darkness was beginning to fall, leaving youngsters 220, 222, and 270 gathered near ///shred.tarred.cubed, with older steer 35 having wandered around the corner for a drink of water from the large pool.

The cattle were all good today.

Monday 28th September - All 25 seen

 Between 06:30 - 09:00

All seen in 3 groups this morning

///comet.spoke.later 020,940,072,270,230,271,220,234,214 and 228 were all at the eastern end of the sandy bowl. They were a mixture of lying down and a few had got to their feet stretching and starting to find their breakfast.

///wonderfully.slap.race 210,222,219,1640,212 and 197 were about 500 meters north of the first group in amongst the the gorse and brambles. After a bit of coaxing they did come out so that I could get a good look at them. 

///pass.twist.taxi 030,035,227,1626,033,021,1396,211 and 217 were alongside the upper path heading towards horse pond. They were all eating leaves and gorse when I saw them. 

All the cattle were good this morning.

A reminder that I will be on holiday for two weeks, back looking on Friday 16th

Sunday 27th September - All 25 seen

At 10:00 this morning, eighteen cattle were spread out grazing in the pasture northwest of Horse Pond, near ///resembles.brief.charge. Sixteen of Caesar's original herd, along with Sussex cow 1396 and steer 1626, were enjoying the grass, gorse, and heather. They were all very friendly, often stopping their grazing to say hello, with most enjoying long neck and back scratches. By 11:00, most had settled down to relax and chew their cud on the hillside near ///kinder.plod.snappy, but were happy to be approached for more strokes. I said my goodbyes at 11:30, leaving them resting peacefully, with cows 72 and 1396, along with steers 21 and 35, continuing to graze among the gorse. All eighteen were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

By 11:50, youngster 219 and Sussex cattle 197, 210, 211, 212, and 1640 were gathered by the flat grassy patch east of the covered reservoir, near ///relief.refuse.switch.. Steer 210 was grazing while the others were resting in the bracken. Youngster 219 was quick to get up and come over to say hello before enjoying a long neck and back scratch. Cows 211 and 212 were also very friendly, offering gentle head rubs and licks after enjoying plenty of fuss. I said my goodbyes just after 12:20, leaving steer 210 and cow 211 grazing, and the others resting peacefully in the bracken. All six were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

Finally, at 12:40, youngster 227 was grazing alone north of the water tower, near ///pepper.vest.jugs. Although he was absolutely fine, he appeared to have become separated from the group and had been heading off in the wrong direction as he tried to find them. Earlier in the day, he had been grazing north of the western end of Sandy Hill. He was very friendly and thoroughly enjoyed a long neck and back scratch. Feeling sorry for him, we set off on the long walk back to the larger group at the other end of the site. As we slowly made our way along Longbottom, he would occasionally stop to investigate some tasty grass or bramble, before pausing again to enjoy plenty of heather as we headed northeast over the hillside. He would frequently moo as we continued east, hoping his herd mates would hear him.

By 13:25, we had reached ///shock.blurs.cyber, where he stopped to enjoy more heather and gorse, seemingly in no hurry to continue. After about ten minutes, he set off again and was reunited with the group, who had moved into the area near ///refills.enter.mildest to graze, at 13:50. I said my goodbyes ten minutes later, leaving them all grazing.

The cattle were all good today.

Saturday 26th September - All 25 seen - issue with Sandy Hill kissing gate resolved

At 09:00 this morning, I received a lovely welcome from youngsters 222 and 271, who were waiting for me just inside the gate on Sandy Hill, near the cattle's favourite corner. They were eager to say hello and both enjoyed long neck and back scratches. Cows 214 and 234, along with steers 197, 230, and 1626, were all grazing near the corner, while steers 21, 33, 217, and 219 were browsing the dense gorse to the north. They were all very friendly, stopping to say hello as I made my way around to check on them. Youngster 219 was quick to greet me and position himself for a back scratch.

Around 09:50, I spotted cow 211 grazing way off in the distance to the west, so wandered along to check her. She was enjoying plenty of fresh grass along the side of the path, but soon stopped to greet me before settling in for a long neck scratch. Cow 1396 was grazing contentedly in the gorse bushes on the other side of the path, but popped out to say hello.

When I returned to the pillbox about fifteen minutes later, steers 20, 210, 220, 227, 228, 270, and 1640, along with cow 212, had all emerged from the gorse bushes along the edge of the hill. They were either grazing on grass, browsing bramble, or relaxing and chewing their cud. They were all happy to be approached for their checks and enjoyed plenty of strokes and rubs. All twenty-one cattle were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

Shortly before 10:30, as I was wandering down Sandy Hill, I heard some mooing and found steer 197 at the side of the path near ///fatherly.beaters.piles. I hadn't noticed him slipping off, but it appeared he was looking for the other cattle, so I expect he must have wandered off before the other Sussex cattle appeared. He walked with me as I headed to the pasture north of Horse Pond, where I found cow 72 and 940, along with steer 35, grazing contentedly among the heather. The girls were very friendly, taking turns to say hello and enjoy plenty of strokes and rubs. Steer 35 wandered over to greet me, happy to receive a few head strokes before positioning himself for a back scratch. Older steer 30 was relaxing and chewing his cud by the water's edge. All four were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

After spending some time with the five by Horse Pond, I returned to Sandy Hill to find the group had moved west and spread out, with some resting and chewing their cud while others browsed among the gorse bushes. At 11:15, at the western end of the hill, near ///meant.hunk.rattled, steers 20, 210, 217, 222, and 1640, along with cows 211, 212, and 1396, were all happily grazing. I'd only briefly seen steer 1640 earlier, so it was nice to spend some proper time with him before youngster 222 approached for plenty more attention. The Sussex cattle soon started to settle down to relax and chew their cud. 

As I was saying my goodbyes at 11:45, I noticed the kissing gate at ///exist.joys.invest had been pushed beyond its rear arm. I managed to force the gate back between its two arms, so it's closing properly again.

As I was preparing to leave, steers 220 and 271, along with cows 214 and 234, were lying down on the grass beside the path near ///times.exhale.wimp. Steers 21, 219, and 227 were grazing nearby. The remaining five cattle were deep in the surrounding gorse bushes. I bid them farewell shortly after 12:15.

The cattle were all good today.  Will add some more photos tomorrow.