Saturday 15th November - All 25 seen

At 09:00 this morning, a group of nine cattle were grazing at the western end of Sandy Hill, enjoying the plentiful grass. Cows 72, 214, 234, and 940, along with steers 20, 30, 217, 220, and 222, were all very friendly, coming over to say hello and enjoy some strokes and rubs. It was quite foggy at first, but the sun soon broke through, and the fog began to lift. The cattle continued to graze slowly east along the hill, pausing often for breaks and taking turns to come back for more strokes. They were still damp from the overnight rain and seemed to appreciate having their coats ruffled to help them dry. They were a joy to spend some quiet, relaxing time with. I said my goodbyes shortly after 10:15, leaving them resting on their favourite Sandy Hill corner. All nine were happy, relaxed, and in good condition. By 10:25, a mixed group of fifteen cattle were resting among the heather near ///crows.pram.stitching, southwest of the Lookout. In the short time it took to reach them, the sun had disappeared again, and the thick fog had returned. The cattle were perfectly happy to be approached and enjoyed some strokes and rubs while being checked. Several stood up for longer neck and back scratches, thanking me with cuddles and licks. After a while, steers 21, 35, 197, and 270 got up and headed off together to graze in the thicket to the southeast. By 11:00, youngsters 227, 228, and 230 joined the group, having been grazing off to the east. All three were quite damp from eating in the wet gorse and thicket, but were very friendly and each enjoyed an extra-long back rub before settling down to rest. By noon, the four steers were still grazing near ///singers.weeds.simple, with older steer 21 nibbling gorse on the far side of the path. Twenty-five minutes later, steers 21, 35, and 270 had rejoined the main group and lay down to rest. The six Sussex cattle, along with steers 219 and 271, had wandered off to forage for acorns under the trees at the Lookout. Sussex steer 197 became separated from the boys and appeared to be wandering around looking for them. I found him south of James Bond Pond at 12:40, near ///dorms.schematic.date. After a neck rub, he was happy to follow me back to the main group, reuniting with them at 12:55. I said my goodbyes soon after. The cows were all good today.