Sunday 4th October – All 25 seen – Steer 219's inner claw on his rear left foot is starting to grow over his outer claw

From 09:45 this morning, a mixed group of eighteen cattle, including all seven of the Sussex cattle, gradually converged from all directions into the rows of gorse bushes along the paths south of James Bond Pond. As I wandered around, they would slowly emerge to say hello and be checked, with most enjoying having the gorse brushed from their backs. Afterwards, many would lean in for long neck and back scratches, clearly loving the attention. Although it was a lovely sunny morning, fog began to develop around the pond and spread across the surrounding area. It lingered for a while before the strengthening sunshine gradually burned it away.

As I was saying my goodbyes at 11:35, eight of the cattle had settled down to rest in the heather near ///mills.huddle.lend. Others were grazing peacefully in the surrounding area, enjoying a mixture of gorse, heather, and leaves from the trees and bushes. Steers 20, 33, and 220 were browsing on gorse just outside the area and soon wandered in to join the others. All eighteen cattle were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

I did notice that the inner claw on youngster 219's rear left foot is starting to grow over his outer claw. It wasn't causing him any issues today, but it is certainly something to monitor moving forward.

Shortly before midday, youngster 230 was grazing in the pasture north of Hungry Hill, near ///bulky.cools.beaker. He was very friendly and stopped to enjoy a long neck, shoulder, and back scratch. Youngster 270 was grazing contentedly about 120 metres to the north, on the far side of the path. He had wandered off by himself even further north searching for something besides gorse to eat, but was gradually making his way back.

Stealthy cow 72 was grazing on the hillside southeast of Horse Pond. After saying hello, she accompanied me down to the pond, where cows 214, 234, and 940, along with steer 222, were having a refreshing drink. The girls were quick to come over to say hello, all enjoying plenty of strokes and rubs, while youngster 222 moved into the pond to eat some lily pads. After a short time, youngster 230 also turned up to take a drink and relax in the sunshine.

When youngster 222 spotted that I was free, he wandered out of the pond to come over and say hello, greeting me with the sweetest head rubs. He was content to just stand in the sun and be fussed over, shifting forwards and backwards for shoulder and back scratches. The girls also enjoyed more strokes, but youngster 222 was very much the centre of attention. He was walking fine today, which was great to see.

I said my goodbyes at 13:20, shortly after youngster 270 came and joined the group, mooing several times to announce his arrival. The girls were all happily standing on the southern bank of the pond, relaxing and chewing their cud. Youngster 222 had gone back into the pond to eat more lily pads, while youngster 230 was making his way around to the woodland to the west of the pond to get some shade.

The cattle were all good today.

Saturday 3rd October – All 25 seen – Youngster 222 appears to have a sore left hip

At 09:30 this morning, steers 33, 219, 230, and 270 were foraging for sweet chestnuts north of the nursery, near ///shorts.gasp.rats. They were all very friendly, taking turns to come over to say hello and enjoy plenty of strokes. Unfortunately they couldn't be persuaded to stop and move on. Sussex steer 210 and cow 212 were grazing in the gorse bushes to the southeast but both wandered over to greet me. All six were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

At 10:00, steers 20, 217, 220, 228, and 271 were grazing peacefully among the gorse and heather on the hillside northeast of Horse Pond, near ///moves.noun.warp. Youngsters 228 and 271 both enjoyed long neck and back scratches before getting back to their grazing. By 10:20, youngster 220 settled down to rest among the heather. He was looking very comfortable and soon began to relax and chew his cud. All five were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

At 10:35, Sussex steer 1640 was lying down, relaxing and chewing his cud on the hillside northeast of Horse Pond, near ///earl.remote.rekindle. He was happy to be approached for his checks and enjoyed a neck scratch while resting. Sussex steer 1626 was grazing in the thicket at the bottom of the slope to his northeast. He was enjoying gorse and leaves from the silver birch trees, but stopped for a few head scratches.

By 10:50, older steers 30 and 35 were buried deep in the gorse bushes near ///sling.baffle.bluff, about 220 metres southwest of the Lookout. They both popped their heads through the bushes to say hello. Steer 227 was grazing in the gorse bushes about 55 metres further west, near ///buggy.bulb.name. He soon came out to join me on the path before enjoying plenty of neck and back scratches. All three were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

At 11:25, cows 214, 234, and 940, along with steers 21 and 222, were spread out grazing in the pasture on the hillside west of the Lookout. The girls all climbed up to join me on a flat area to the side of the path near ///sonic.hush.anode, where they enjoyed plenty of strokes and rubs. Youngster 222 patiently waited his turn before climbing up too, greeting me with the sweetest head rubs before leaning in for a long neck scratch. By 11:55, the group had climbed up the hill and gathered in the pasture to the south. They all enjoyed plenty more attention before settling down in the grass to rest and chew their cud.

Youngster 222 also went to lie down, but after a short while he attempted to get back up and struggled a bit. He seemed to have a bit of a sore left hip, and as he wandered back over to see me, he was a bit lame on his rear left leg. He was happy to just stand and enjoy more attention, loving having the sides of his neck and back scratched. Again, he thanked me with gentle head rubs. After a good while, he went to lie down again, but this time went a bit further and settled down in the bracken to the southeast. I will keep a careful eye on him in the coming days. I eventually said my goodbyes at 12:50, leaving all five resting peacefully.

At 12:55, Sussex steer 197 and cows 211 and 1396 were grazing in the swampy area under the Lookout, near ///blushes.dorms.spoils. All three waded through the mud to come over to say hello and enjoy plenty of attention. Cow 211 was especially friendly, offering plenty of licks after enjoying a long neck and shoulder rub. All three were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

All of this meant I'd missed cow 72 on my travels, so I had no option but to go back and retrace my steps. Sure enough, as the old saying goes, she was in the last place I looked! Youngster 222 and his group had moved under the trees at the Lookout. Of course, they all needed more strokes before I could leave and get on my way. Steers 30, 35, and 227 were all drinking at the northeast corner of James Bond Pond. Steers 1626 and 1640 were resting northwest of where I'd seen them earlier. The five steers were all gathered together, resting on the hillside close to where they were grazing earlier. Steers 210, 219, and 230, along with cow 212, were resting in the bracken in the pasture northwest of the nursery. Finally, shortly before 14:00, I found cow 72 grazing in the pasture near ///card.booklets.frog, with steers 33 and 270 grazing nearby. She was very friendly and enjoyed plenty of fuss, but wouldn't tell me where she'd been hiding earlier! The good news was that she was happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

The cattle were all good today.

Wednesday 30th September - All 25 seen

At 16:10 this afternoon, steers 197 and 219 were foraging for acorns under the oak trees near ///cabbies.cake.tower, southeast of James Bond Pond. Despite my best efforts to move them on, they just circled back around to continue eating them. I did manage to move a load of acorns away from the area they were searching, but I didn't have anything with me to collect the remaining acorns and remove them from site. Cows 211 and 1396, along with steer 1640, were grazing in the thicket to the west of the path but unfortunately joined the boys as I was leaving. Cow 211 was very friendly, enjoying a long neck rub before thanking me with plenty of licks. All five were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

At 16:35, a mixed group of seventeen cattle were resting in the warm sunshine near ///curries.shame.reset, southwest of the Lookout. Most were lying down, relaxing and chewing their cud. Cow 212 was the first to stand up and come over to say hello before enjoying a long back scratch. When we were done, youngsters 222 and 228 both took turns wandering over for neck and back rubs. By 16:55, the entire group were on their feet, with older steer 33 leading them to James Bond Pond for drinks. There were a few stragglers who stopped to enjoy some heather or leaves from silver birch trees along the way, but eventually, they all gathered at the northeast corner of the pond to drink. It's surprising just how empty the pond remains, with the cattle having to wade quite a distance through the mud to get to the water's edge.

After resting in the sunshine for a while, the cattle began to drift off into the pasture to the north of the pond to graze. Many of the group lingered for extra back scratches before crossing the path to graze. Steers 20, 21, 33, 30, 35, 210, 217, 220, 222, 227, 228, 230, 270, 271, and 1626, along with cows 72 and 212, were all happy, relaxed, and looking well. I said my goodbyes at 17:50, just as steers 227 and 228 moved into the pasture to join the others.

Shortly before 18:00, cows 214, 234, and 940 were peacefully grazing along the sides of the main path near ///asterisk.umpires.public, east of the hill up to the Lookout. All three were very friendly, stopping to greet me before leaning in for plenty of strokes and rubs. They thoroughly enjoyed the attention, with cow 234 clearly unimpressed that I stopped to go and spend some time with the others. The girls were looking gorgeous in the setting sun. All three were happy, relaxed, and in good condition. I said my goodbyes at 18:25, leaving them grazing peacefully.

As I was leaving at 18:30, the first group of five cattle were spread out grazing on the hillside southeast of Horse Pond, near ///bead.hires.deflate. I had been keeping an eye on them, and they didn't spend too much more time in the woodland after I left them. They then moved northeast into the pasture to graze in the sunshine, slowly tracking east towards the pond.

The cattle were all good today.