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.

25th September - Staff Check

Cattle in 2 groups, most near James Bond pond and the rest up by Sandy Hill Rd. All fine and chilled out. Tried to resolve a few of the collar connectivity issues but no luck. Have made a note of the ones that need replacing.

Holiday Dates

 I am away in Fuerteventura for two weeks starting Wednesday 30th September, so I will not be doing looker duties on the 2nd, 5th, 9th and 12th October.

Regards, Graham 

Friday 25th September - All 25 seen

 Between 06:30 - 09:15

All the cattle seen in 3 locations this morning 

///immediate.urban.duet (close to Beacon Hill Road) the 7 Sussex’s and 219,271

///magnitude.impulse.pipeline (north of James Bond pond) 230,072,228,033,234,217,035,020 and 030

///wobbles.snap.face (east of James Bond pond) 227,220,222,940,214 about 100 meters away were 021 and 270

It was quite amusing to see the second group mingling with the army who were camping there. One of the soldiers told me the cows had all appeared about an hour before I got there and were just stood staring at the tents. With a bit of encouragement I managed to steer them away from the camp.

All the cattle were good this morning.

Wednesday 23rd September - All 25 seen

At 16:35 this afternoon, steers 21, 33, 217, 220, 227, 228, and 271 were browsing among the gorse bushes opposite the Shell garage, near ///drifters.prawn.onion. They kindly stepped out from the bushes as I made my way around to check on them. Steers 21, 227, and 271 all enjoyed neck and back scratches before drifting off to munch some grass along the sides of the paths. All seven were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

By 17:00, cows 214 and 234, along with steer 35, were grazing the gorse bushes along the path west of the water tower, near ///debit.galloping.lawn. Cow 214 was especially friendly, taking a break to enjoy some fuss. After a while, I wandered further west and spotted steers 219 and 222, along with cow 940, emerging from the thicket near ///drags.loses.signs. All three wandered over to greet me at the entrance, taking turns to say hello and enjoy plenty of strokes and rubs in the late afternoon sunshine. Steer 30 was grazing in the pasture to the east, while cow 72 was deep in the gorse bushes to the northwest. All eight were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

At 17:45, steers 20 and 270 were enjoying plenty of grass among the bracken near ///anode.recital.skim, north of Sandy Hill. They both wandered over to say hello before crossing the path and continuing to graze to the south. Youngster 230 was grazing in the thicket further northwest but soon emerged into an open area where I could check him over. The boys were all content, relaxed, and looking well.

Finally, at 18:15, the seven Sussex cattle were spread out grazing among the heather on the hillside west of Horse Pond, near ///fuzz.hopes.hamper. They all paused their grazing to say hello and enjoy some head scratches. Cow 211 was especially friendly, greeting me with gentle head rubs before leaning in for neck scratches, returning the affection with plenty of licks. All seven were looking stunning as they grazed in the setting sun. They were all happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

As I was leaving shortly before 18:45, youngster 230 had moved into the woodland near ///lied.pinks.relished, where he was foraging for acorns. He looked so innocent when I approached, but clearly knew I'd spotted him eating them. After another back scratch, he followed me out to the side of the path to continue grazing, with steers 20 and 270 nearby on the slope of Sandy Hill.

The cattle were all good today.

Tuesday 22nd September - All 25 seen

At 16:40 this afternoon, cow 214 was relaxing and chewing her cud among the bracken at the side of Sunny Hill Road, near ///list.since.dots. She was very friendly and enjoyed a back rub while resting. About ten minutes later, I made my way down to the grassy patch at the eastern end of the Sandy Bowl, where I was met by youngster 222. He greeted me with some affectionate head rubs before leaning in for a neck and back scratch. While standing with him, steers 33, 210, 270, 1626 and 1640, along with cow 1396, were all resting on the grass, with older steer 30 grazing in the thicket behind. After a while, I made my way over to check on them. Most had already got to their feet and were preparing to wander off to catch up with the rest of the group in the woodland to the south. Unfortunately, the unseasonably warm weather had brought out the flies, but the cattle didn't appear too bothered.

Around 17:20, I accompanied the group into the woodland, where steers 20, 21, 197, 230 and cows 211, 212, 234, and 940 were well spread out, enjoying plenty of gorse and leaves from the trees and bushes. They were all very friendly as I made my way around, happily accepting plenty of strokes and rubs. Cow 211 enjoyed a long neck rub and thanked me with plenty of licks, while youngster 230 enjoyed an extra long back scratch while resting under the shade of a tree. I said my goodbyes at 18:00, leaving them peacefully grazing in smaller groups, gradually making their way southwest through the woodland. All seventeen cattle were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

At 18:15, youngster 217 was munching on the grass just to the side of the cattle grid at the Beacon Hill Road entrance to the site. He paused to say hello before getting back to his dinner. He seems to be making a habit of wandering off on his own lately, but thankfully this evening he knew where the others were and, after a while, wandered over to rejoin them.

At 18:25, steers 219, 220, 227, 228, and 271, along with cow 72, were spread out browsing the gorse bushes along the sides of the path near ///curable.places.twitches, about 350 metres to the southeast. They all stopped to say hello and enjoyed plenty of fuss before getting back to their grazing. Older steer 35 was grazing alone among the thicket about 70 metres further southwest, near ///trend.dunes.noun.

By 18:55, the group had started to gather near ///grapes.suits.bowls, where they took a well-deserved break, with several coming over for more strokes and rubs. I said my goodbyes at 19:20 as darkness was falling, leaving them slowly moving north to continue their grazing. All eight were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

The cattle were all good today.