Tuesday 10th June - All 25 seen

At 16:40 this afternoon, ten members of the Caesar's original herd were gathered to the east of their favourite Sandy Hill corner, resting in the warm sunshine. Unfortunately, they were being pestered by a large number of flies. Cows 72 and 940 stood head to tail, swishing flies from each other’s faces, as did cows 214 and 234. Youngsters 219 and 222 were especially friendly, each coming over to enjoy head and neck rubs.

Older steer 35 had rejoined this group and was grazing in the thicket just off the main path with  youngster 228. By 16:55, the flies had become too much, and the group made their way down the side of Sandy Hill to Horse Pond. A few rested in the trees to the west of the pond, while most took a drink and relaxed by the water's edge. Youngsters 219 and 222 waded into the pond to cool off, munching on the lily pads floating on the surface. After a while, a group of ten moved off to graze east of the pond, leaving the boys to carry on their adventures. All twelve were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

At 17:45, steers 217, 220, 227, 230, 270, and 271, were grazing in the pasture north of James Bond Pond near ///prime.scared.refer. They were enjoying plenty of grass, heather, and silver birch leaves. All were friendly, coming over for greetings before gradually grazing eastward. By 18:05, they began settling down to rest and chew their cud, but the persistent flies and horseflies made it difficult for them to get comfortable. Before long, they were up again, either huddling together or tucking their heads into bushes for relief. Youngster 227 chose to stand close to me for a while, finding some respite from the flies. Despite the conditions, all six were in good spirits and good condition.

At 18:40, the seven Sussex cattle were grazing near the pillbox on Sandy Hill. In contrast to the other groups, they weren't being troubled by nearly as many flies. A light breeze under the shade of the trees seemed to help. They were contentedly grazing on fresh grass as they slowly made their way east toward their favourite corner. Cow 211 was particularly affectionate, enjoying a long neck and shoulder rub, and rewarding me with head rubs and licks in return. I said my goodbyes shortly before 19:30, leaving them all resting peacefully.

The cows were all good today.