Wednesday 26th August - All 25 seen

At 17:10 this afternoon, twelve members of the Caesar's original herd were well spread out in smaller groups across the Sandy Hill hillside south of Horse Pond. Youngsters 220 and 271 were grazing in the gorse bushes at the top of the hill near ///removers.quote.again, while youngsters 230 and 270 were grazing together in the bushes beside Horse Pond. Steers 20, 21, 30, 33, 222, 227, and 228, along with cow 214, were grazing among the bracken, heather, and gorse in between. Cows 72, 234, and 940 were further east on the slope of Hungry Hill, near ///mining.slime.husky, browsing the leaves from the trees. The cattle were all very friendly as I made my way around checking on them, with most pausing from their grazing to say hello and enjoy plenty of fuss before getting back to their dinner in the cooling conditions.

Youngster 230 soon emerged from the gorse bushes and came over to greet me, happy to stand close and lean in for a neck scratch. After a while, he edged forward for a back scratch, giving me the opportunity to check his wound. In all honesty, it didn't look too much different from yesterday, but it does appear to be gradually pulling together. It looked fairly clean and wasn't attracting too many flies. He was more than happy for me to give it a thorough check and didn't appear to be in any discomfort. After a good while, he returned to grazing, enjoying the soft tips of the gorse along the side of the main path. He was walking without any problems and, at one point, even stepped up onto a ledge to reach some particularly tasty gorse with ease. He continued east, with youngster 270 staying fairly close by, before the pair crossed into the woodland east of the pond.

I returned to spend some more time with the other cattle, who were continuing to graze peacefully in their smaller groups. All fifteen were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

At 18:30, Sussex cows 211, 212, and 1396 were grazing in the pasture northeast of Horse Pond, near ///plea.dumps.stages, making the most of the long grass and heather. Steers 197, 210, 219, 1626, and 1640 were resting further east near the large tree. While I spent some time with the girls, I watched them gradually get to their feet and begin grazing in the surrounding area. Steers 35 and 217 were grazing together further north by the main path. They were all very friendly as I made my way around, happily accepting strokes and rubs while I checked on them. All ten were happy, relaxed, and in good condition. I said my goodbyes at 19:00, leaving them all peacefully grazing.

After returning to spend a little more time with youngster 230, I made my way back to the top of Sandy Hill at 19:25, where cow 214 and steers 220, 228, and 271 were gathered, while steers 20 and 227 grazed on the hillside below. Further west, cows 72, 234, and 940 were making their way towards their favourite Sandy Hill corner. I said my goodbyes to the girls shortly before 20:00, leaving them all gathered by the apple tree.

The cattle were all good today, and it was encouraging to see steer 230's injury continuing to heal.