Chasing Cows

Well mainly they are chasing me and I've had enough of the stress of it to be honest. Oh yes, rural living has it's stresses you know.

I was having a lovely run, in the sun, I decided to go an extra mile or 2 across some fields I've not been in for a while.  I avoid them mainly, the cows can be a bit of a pain but I was brave.

Wrong.

The damn things were having calves faster than rabbits do what rabbits do and there were at least 60 of them in the first field, right near the gate to the second field holding about another 60 and each half were keener than keen to get into each others field.  Two bulls were either side of the gate having some sort of bellowy stand off.

The little calves, wobbly on their legs, were curious and peeked at me, the older calves were delighted to come and check me out which upset their mums who started bellowing at me.

Excuse me for not taking photos as a straddled the style shouting GEEEEEEERCHAAAAA as loud as a I could with more cows than I could eat in a life time closer than I would ever want a sodding cow to be.  I decided the best thing to do would be to run for it.

Wrong.

They can run awfully fast when frightened by someone trying to make a run for it and they run at all angles.  I headed up a steep incline that was dreadfully thistly but less get-trodden-ony and watched them all bolt to the end of the field that I needed to be to get out.

Again, excuse me for not taking photos as I was thistle scratched and nettle stung to smithereens as I picked my way along the edge of the field, over a fence, through an unfootpathed field and over a gate to get around them.

So I was not best impressed on my most recent outing to have this set of curious cows that I had 'gercha'd on the way out of the village, blocking my exit on the way back.

I couldn't retreat as the cubs that had been up the wood on their meeting night were coming back across the field, I know those leaders, I was not going to show a scared Guider face.  So I bravely marched onto the cows and widened my arms and made noises and ...

...the damn things came at me.  Again, excuse me for not taking photos as I was surrounded by them. As I turned one way to scare some, some another way walked closer to me and just as I thought things couldn't get any worse some of COGS school friends arrived at the gate.

Now I have to be a 'do not show me up what ever you do' mum and a 'do not show a scared face to the scouts' Guider and to be quite frank I'd had a-bloody-nuff.  I GEEEEERCHA'd for my life and the damn things panicked and ran for it and luckily not in the direction of the cubs.

I'm staying out of cow fields for a while.

I'm failing in the photography stakes.  This little muntjack and I stood looking at each other for quite a while before I decided to take his picture and he decided he was camera shy.

Sometimes it's just better to stand and stare.