Tuesday 28th July - All 25 seen

At 16:45 this afternoon, all twenty-five cattle were together, although separated by the path, northeast of Horse Pond. Seventeen of the Caesar's original herd were gathered north of the path near ///perky.durations.critic. Youngster 219 and the seven Sussex cattle were grazing south of the path, gradually making their way towards the shade of the large tree at the southern edge of the pasture.

The group of seventeen were very friendly, taking turns to wander over for plenty of strokes. Unfortunately, another hot day had brought large numbers of flies, causing plenty of watery eyes. Cows 72 and 940 stood head to tail, doing an impressive job of keeping the flies off each other's faces with regular swishes of their tails. After a while, several lay down in the heather to rest, while others preferred long neck and back scratches or simply standing close so I could help keep the flies at bay. Despite the hot weather, they were all happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

By 17:20, the cattle had started making their way towards Horse Pond, grazing down the hillside and enjoying plenty of heather and grass along the way. When they reached the pond, they all enjoyed a long drink before most gathered along the northern bank to rest. Youngsters 222 and 271 spent a while in the pond feasting on lily pads, while others were content to stand in the water and cool themselves down. They gradually made their way into the shade of the trees to the west of the pond.

Shortly before 18:00, I wandered along to check on the group of eight that had moved further south into the neighbouring pasture to rest. Youngster 219 watched me approaching and immediately positioned himself for a long back scratch near ///timer.lived.senses. Cow 211, who had been lying partially hidden behind some bushes, must have heard my voice because she soon wandered over to greet me, offering plenty of head rubs while I gently brushed the flies from her face and neck. After spending some time with them, I found steer 210 and cow 212 resting about ten metres away, quietly chewing their cud in the sunshine. Further south, cow 1396, along with steers 1626 and 1640, were resting peacefully deep among the dense bracken. They were all happy to be approached for their checks and were looking well. Sussex steer 197 was resting in a slightly more open area near ///pupils.just.clap. He happily had the flies brushed from his face before enjoying a head and neck rub. All eight were content, relaxed, and looking well.

After saying my goodbyes at 18:30, I wandered back to Horse Pond and found all seventeen cattle standing in the shade of the trees, relaxing and chewing their cud. Several wandered over to say hello, including youngsters 222 and 271, who were still wet from their earlier exploits. As I left at 19:00, the group began making their way back onto the northern bank of the pond to rest in the sunshine, with many stopping for another drink along the way.

The cattle were all good today.