Wednesday 24th December - All 25 seen - Steer 35 continues to limp slightly, but his walking showed further improvement compared with yesterday

At 09:40 this morning, steers 220, 228, and 271, along with cows 72 and 214, were browsing gorse near ///sizzled.rolled.maps on Sandy Hill. They were all very friendly, coming over to say hello and enjoying plenty of strokes and rubs. Afterwards, they continued grazing on grass and gorse as they made their way east toward their favourite corner. All appeared happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

By 10:05, the remaining twenty cattle were spread out near Horse Pond, mostly grazing, foraging for acorns, or resting. Older steer 33 was lying comfortably in the bracken south of the woodland by the water’s edge, with youngster 230 grazing nearby. Youngsters 222 and 227, along with yearling 271, were foraging for acorns on the soil bund in the pasture to the south. They were all very friendly and paused to enjoy long neck and back scratches.

Shortly after I arrived, the herd split into two groups. Most continued east to forage for acorns among the fallen leaves southeast of the pond, near ///bead.hires.deflate, including Sussex cow 1396 and steer 1626. The three steers from earlier walked with me as I made my way along, with steers 33 and 230 having already joined them by the time I arrived.

Meanwhile, a group of eight—including the remaining five Sussex cattle, steers 35 and 219, and cow 234—climbed the steep slope up to Hungry Hill, where they joined the initial group of five cattle foraging for acorns near ///sage.badly.tower.

Despite the demanding climb and his injury, older steer 35 reached the top without needing to pause. When I caught up with him at 11:20, he was still showing a slight limp on the uneven ground, but this was noticeably improved compared with yesterday. He was bearing full weight on his injured ankle while foraging and allowed me to check the injury and take a few photos. It was encouraging to see such clear signs of recovery.

Shortly before 11:40, I returned to the first group, who were beginning to settle down in the sunshine to rest and chew their cud near ///care.either.speech. Older steer 21 was still foraging for acorns on the far side of the path to the east, while steers 20 and 230 were lying comfortably in the bracken nearby. All twelve were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

Just after noon, as I was preparing to leave, I revisited the group of thirteen on Hungry Hill. They had moved around 200 metres west and were browsing gorse and other leaves from trees and bushes. They, too, were relaxed, content, and looking well. I said my final goodbyes at 12:30, leaving them all grazing peacefully.

The cows were all good today.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!!