Saturday 20th September - All 25 seen - Sussex steer 1640 has a scratch on the right side of his neck

At 09:55 this morning, cows 214 and 234 were grazing at the western end of Sandy Hill near ///trout.rejects.nicely, while cow 72 was a little further west. All three were enjoying the lush grass. The scratch on cow 214's right rear leg continues to heal nicely. They looked happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

At 10:10, shortly after heading down the hill, I met steer 217 near ///joins.hoofs.weeps. He had just come down from the northwest and, after saying hello, continued east along the path toward Horse Pond, stopping to forage for acorns under the trees at ///yacht.grills.remix. A short time later, steers 227 and 230 came down the hill and came wandering along, pausing for long back rubs before continuing on. By 10:30, all three had reached the area south of Horse Pond, where they joined steers 228 and 270 to forage for acorns. Older steer 20 was grazing in the thicket east of the pond, while steer 35 was further east still, grazing alone near ///rigid.jumbo.chef at 10:50. All seven were happy and healthy.

By 11:10, steers 21, 30, and 222, were lying down resting near ///swim.grew.comply, west of the Lookout. Youngster 222 got up to greet me, thoroughly enjoying an extra-long neck rub. He rested his head on my shoulder for a while before moving onto a back scratch. He was especially affectionate, giving me endless hub rubs and licks. Steers 21 and 30 continued to rest, but happily accepted a few strokes when I checked on them twenty-five minutes later. Youngster 222 soon came and settled down next to steer 30. All three were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

At 11:45, steers 33, 210, 220, and 1640, along with cow 212, were relaxing among the heather near ///rules.sparks.station. I noticed steer 1640 had a scratch on the right side of his neck, though it didn't appear to be causing him any discomfort, and he allowed me to give it a thorough check. Cow 212 was particularly friendly, enjoying a long shoulder rub as she relaxed and chewed her cud. All five were content, relaxed, and looking well.

Finally, at 12:10, I found the remaining seven cattle resting in the pasture north of James Bond Pond. Cow 211 immediately got up and came over to greet me, leaning in for a long neck rub and thanking me with the sweetest head rubs. The others all enjoyed plenty of strokes and scratches as I checked them one by one. Youngster 197 especially loved a long shoulder and back rub, before stretching out fully on his side for a belly rub. He enjoyed it so much that he soon drifted off to sleep. I said my goodbyes just after 13:00 as a heavy shower passed through.

On my way back, I passed five steers from the second group resting in the heather north of Horse Pond, while steers 35 and 270 grazed further northeast. Climbing back up Sandy Hill, I found the three cows again at the eastern end of the hill at 13:30, still happily grazing. Cow 72 came over for another back scratch before all three slowly wandered west towards their favourite corner. Cow 234 enjoyed a few fallen apples beneath the tree on the corner before I said my goodbyes at 14:00.

The cows were all good today. I may have got a little carried away with the photos 😊!