I am finding Christmas rather difficult this year. One of the things that’s hard for me, since they chopped through the right side of my brain, is time. This is both short time – so I will do something for a couple of minutes in the morning, and then find it’s 3 pm and I’ve missed lunch,  and long time – where we are in the year. It’s difficult to keep track of where we are. I was doing quite well, reminding myself that we have had Easter and the Summer, and then we went to India. Of course, the days were hot and sunny, I completely forgot where we were in the year! When we got home I washed and ironed our clothes, then left them folded ready to pack in the suitcase for our holiday. Husband pointed out that we have Christmas before the Summer. Bit of a blow. It just doesn’t feel like Christmas. The hens haven’t helped either by producing chicks in November. (They are all doing well, by the way, and are about half sized now!)

So, I have been trying to have lots of long walks in the winter sun, to get my brain back in the right season. This was more exciting than expected yesterday. The farmer has been moving the animals around, and I noticed the sheep had gone from the field next to the house. What I didn’t notice, until I was half-way across, was that the yearlings have been moved to the field we walk through. There I was, stomping across the mud, when I look up to see this year’s beef cattle staring back at me. I grabbed the dog’s lead and stopped. Now, I am not particularly worried by cows, not even young males. I would never walk through a field with mothers and young, not even sheep, but there were no parents here. I figured they would move back when we advanced. I was wrong.

As we continued across the field, the cattle came nearer. Very near. Like, less than a foot away. I could feel their breath down my neck. They were terribly interested by us, and gradually more and more came, until we were walking across the field with a whole herd of cattle following right behind us. I mean, right behind us. My heart was beating so fast! I wasn’t really frightened, they seemed curious more than anything, but they were huge. If one had kicked out, or decided to butt us, we’d have been like toys. But they didn’t. We made it safely to the other side of the field and climbed over the stile. Kia kept looking at me, with her, “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” face, but she didn’t bark at them and walked beside me calmly.

Once we were safely on the other side of the fence, I stopped and took some photos. They really are beautiful animals, and they seemed to enjoy their walk with us. I’m thinking of adding them to my Christmas list…..

 Kia touching noses!

 This is how they were – a pushing heap of nosey males

following us as closely as they could!

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Thank you for reading.

There is still time to order Hidden Faces before Christmas.

Available from waterstones.com, bookshops and Amazon.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx