Tuesday 31st December - All 25 seen

Youngster 230 and yearling 270 were resting and chewing their cud in the thicket near ///terms.oils.organist, east of James Bond Pond, at 08:50 this morning. Both were very friendly and came over to greet me. Nearby, older steers 30 and 35 were munching on leaves to the northeast. All four steers appeared happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

The remaining twenty-one cattle were spread out in smaller groups across a wide area near the Lookout. At 09:20, steers 220, 222 and 228, along with cows 214 and 234, were grazing on the slope near ///strays.hiker.jelly. On the opposite side of the path, older steer 21 was enjoying gorse from the bushes. All six were happy and healthy.

A short time later, cows 211, 212, 940 and 1396, along with steers 219 and 1626, were grazing near the Lookout. Most were initially in the gorse bushes. They were soon joined by steers 197 and 1640, who approached from the southwest after pausing for a drink from the puddles.

The seven remaining cattle were grazing deep within the gorse bushes near ///unites.sues.cute. Steers 20, 33, 217 and 227, along with cow 72, emerged from the bushes fairly quickly to greet me. However, Sussex steer 210 and yearling 271 were a bit more elusive but eventually appeared.

By 11:00, the first group of six cattle had started making their way towards the Lookout to join the rest of the herd. When I went to spend some time with them at 10:30, they had all been grazing near ///bulk.grunt.zoom.

The cows were all good today.

Monday 30th December - All 25 seen

 Between 08:45 - 10:45

Nice easy look this morning as all were alongside / very close the Sandy Hill Road. They were all eating the gorse and grass, some appeared to be watching the cars on the road. Sussex 211 was getting some unwanted attention from a couple of steers. I gave her a back rub which she enjoyed as she usually does.

Sunday 29th December - All 25 seen

It was another very foggy morning on Caesar's, with drizzle giving way to a cold chill in the air.

A mixed group of ten cattle were gathered at their favourite Sandy Hill corner at 09:50 this morning. They were relaxing and chewing their cud. While there was no drizzle, the cows were all rather wet. Steers 33, 210, 217, and 271, along with cow 1396, were grazing deep in the gorse bushes but soon emerged to say hello before joining the others. Yearling 270 was munching on leaves along by the pillbox, while cows 214 and 234 grazed on gorse near Hungry Hill. By 10:20 the girls had wandered along to join the group, bringing the total to eighteen. When I left shortly after 10:25, all were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

At 10:45, steer 20 and cow 72 were grazing in the gorse and heather northeast of James Bond Pond, near ///noun.voted.crisper. Although I suspected a third cow was nearby, I couldn't find them!! Moving towards the Lookout, I found steer 35 at 10:55, relaxing and chewing his cud the on the corner near ///scarf.dunk.gullible. Nearby, steer 21 was grazing in the heather, while steers 30 and 227 were munching on gorse bushes on the slope behind. 

Returning to steer 20 and cow 72, I discovered I wasn't the only one looking for the missing cow. The pair were mooing and searching for their friend without any success. In the end, they followed me back to where I'd found the four steers earlier, and at 11:25, we found cow 940 calmly relaxing on the corner. All seven cattle appeared happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

Today marked the Thames Motorcycle Club's annual Mike Kemp Classic Trial on Hungry Hill, which began at 10:30. Despite having the entire site at their disposal, the group of seventeen cattle decided to wander along to Hungry Hill to graze 🤣. When I checked on them at 11:45, they were well spread out, peacefully grazing in the thicket and staying off the tracks being used by the motorbikes. I stayed with them until 12:15, and they continued grazing happily, completely unbothered by the activity around them.

The cows were all good today

Saturday 28th December - All 25 seen

It was a murky morning on Caesar's, with frequent fine drizzle and thickening fog throughout my visit.

The two groups of cows had recently come together at 08:50 this morning. Steers 21, 30, 210, 219, 270 and 1626, along with cows 234 and 1396, were grazing in the heather northeast of James Bond Pond. Although very wet from the drizzle, they appeared happy and in excellent condition.

By 09:25, steers 35 and 222, along with cow 211, were grazing in the heather near ///fancied.thigh.nips, just along from the Lookout. Cow 211 was particularly friendly, approaching me to say hello before enjoying a long back rub. Not long after, steers 210 and 219, as well as cow 1396, arrived, making their way briskly from their earlier location. Nearby, steers 33, 220 and 228 were happily munching on gorse. This group were all happy, relaxed, and looking well.

The remaining eleven cattle were spread between the two groups, grazing on an abundance of heather and gorse. Over time, the cattle converged near the second group. They were especially friendly today, coming over to greet me warmly and standing close as they relaxed. Many enjoyed long rubs back, which helped ruffle their wet coats to aid drying.

Around 10:40, most of the cattle wandered towards the Lookout to rest and chew their cud, while a few stayed behind to continue grazing in the gorse bushes. Their presence attracted a lot of interest from passers-by, who asked many questions about the cows, which I was happy to answer. By 11:45, when I said my goodbyes, most of the group had moved westward to continue grazing. 

The cows were all good today, and it was lovely to see them all together, even if only briefly.