Seem to be having a bad week with large hoofed beasts. Walking back to the car on Saturday I got back to the final gate as the last of the light left the sky. It was cold, and clear, and silent. I turned round to shut the gate behind me and found three huge equine faces staring expectantly at me from six feet away. To say I jumped would be an understatement. I still don't understand how they crept up on me; perhaps they were "stalking horses"?

Tonight, walking to the cowfield swim, the cows and bullocks in the field started following me. I've had livestock follow me before in a curious or hungry way, but there seemed to be some agitation and menace in the behaviour tonight. I was very glad to get a barbed wire fence between them and myself. They then stood and stared at me for about five minutes before drifting away. I've heard of cows with calves attacking people before (usually people with dogs, mind) but while I've been chased by bulls I can't honestly say that I've ever felt threatened by a cow before.