Some young ladies from Dannevirke visit

On Friday we welcomed the arrival of some young ladies from Dannevirke, in the Hawke's Bay. They were a small herd of dairy heifers (that's a cow that hasn't had a calf yet), who were spending some of their winter over the other side of the Ruahine Range. They were being 'billeted' by a neighbouring farmer who brought them over to our place for a change of scene (grass). We had them for a couple of weeks, over which time they did a good job of getting the grass down and fertilising it at the same time.

We found their stay surprisingly enjoyable. Cows, we have concluded, are quite relaxing to be around (as long as you aren't responsible for getting up in 4am in the morning to milk them, I suspect). Their preference is to do everything at a very relaxed pace. They are intensely inquisitive, and will wander over to anything new in the paddock to inspect it closely, often using their tongue. This happened to the wheelbarrow, which was toppled on to its side by a particularly vigorous lick. (Thankfully its contents had been safely removed by this time.)

No. 10 also took a distinct liking to our black and white border collie, and took to following her around. I suspect she thought that she was a calf (or a curiously small cow), though it is safe to say that it is difficult to determine with any certainty what a cow is thinking. In any case, Pippa was wary of anybody several times he size wanting to befriend her and, wisely, kept her distance.