Tuesday 23rd December - All 25 seen - Steer 35 continues to limp, but his walking is much improved since Sunday. Continuing to keep up with the herd.

At 10:35 this morning, steers 220, 227, 270, and 271, along with cows 72 and 940, were grazing among the gorse in the pasture opposite their favourite Sandy Hill corner. They were all very friendly and enjoyed plenty of strokes and rubs. Cows 214 and 234 also popped their heads out of the gorse to greet me before returning to graze in the thicket at the edge of the slope. All eight were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

Youngster 230 was grazing alone further down the hill among the gorse near ///health.risks.share. Although by himself, he appeared perfectly content. He’d snagged his front right ankle on some branches, but the small trace of blood wiped away without issue. He took a break from grazing and happily leaned in for a long, satisfying neck and back scratch.

When I made my way back to the top of the hill, yearlings 270 and 271 wandered over looking for a bit more attention. At that point, I noticed that the rest of the herd—previously spread out grazing in the gorse west of the initial group—had drifted to the far western end of Sandy Hill. I said my goodbyes at 11:25 and headed west to catch up with them. Along the way, I passed older steers 20 and 30 standing deep in the gorse at the top of the hill; both were looking well.

By 11:40, the remainder of the herd had gathered near ///graph.paths.stump, southwest of James Bond Pond. A few were browsing gorse in the bushes to the east, but most were resting and chewing their cud. Youngster 222 came straight over to greet me and enjoyed his usual neck and back rub. The rest of the group were just as friendly as I made my way around checking on them.

Steer 35 was resting and chewing his cud but stepped forward—straight into a large puddle—to greet me. He let me to check his injured ankle, which looked less swollen than it had over the weekend. Just before noon, the group set off east along the path south of the pond. I walked with steer 35 as he followed; although he was still limping, his walking had improved noticeably since Sunday, and he appeared far more comfortable. He kept up with the herd, who remained mindful of his injury and didn't move too far ahead.

The cattle soon reached the area near ///swift.fuse.myself, where they stopped to rest or graze among the heather and gorse. Several came over for further greetings and happily accepted more strokes and rubs. After a while, some of the Sussex cattle settled down to relax in the heather. I said my goodbyes at 12:50, leaving them content, relaxed, and looking well. As I headed down the hill, I found youngster 228 and cow 940 grazing near Longbottom.

I then returned to the first group on Sandy Hill, where six cattle were still grazing in the gorse near ///ending.tile.hound. At 13:05, older steer 30 was grazing on the slope near ///disarmed.bond.hands. Nearby, cows 214 and 234, along with steers 227 and 230, were resting comfortably in the bracken about 30 metres to the northeast. Rather than joining them, steer 30 climbed the hill to rejoin steer 20 grazing in the gorse bushes.

Aside from steer 35’s injury—which is showing clear signs of improvement—the cattle were all good today.