Sunday 8th Dec

 A cold northerly making its’ presence felt today. So much so I had trouble with my counting! The TWO cows were up at the top end alongside Morestead Rd …again. I looked and looked but couldn’t find the third one!! Thanks Fi for putting me right!

Ponies were altogether on the main (getting very muddy) main track towards the top end and looking fine.

Saturday 7th December

Breezy day on the Hill, but seemed to be subsiding when I arrived, or maybe just a bit more sheltered. Found the ponies about 100 metres up the main path, sheltering as best they could. They looked well, just slightly bedraggled and windswept.

The cows were a bit further up the path, in amongst some trees, munching and sheltering. Again looked well. 

Flam sporting a windswept barnet

Fri 6th Dec

Thought we may see the ponies on our work party today, but it's so slidy along the bottom track I don;t blame them for staying up the top! Saw Dilly (sorry of I said Dolly!) and Eleanor at the end of the day, both looking very fine and Dilly's eye had cleared up. Very end of the day saw all the ponies together at the eastern end of the site. They are all looking in fine fettle. Hoopy is looking very shaggy and had clearly been having fun rolling in mud recently.

Thursday 5th Dec

 Very wet after overnight rain; not just muddy but quite slippery in places - beware!

The 4 ponies were towards the eastern end of the top path, and just between the path and the road, grazing.  They looked a bit bedraggled, but unbowed.  

The cattle were invisible from the main path, lying down and staring into space about 300m along from the M'way entrance and close to the Morestead Rd fence.

They were both fine, but Dolly's left eye looked a bit watery:

Troughs were OK.

A song thrush was having an attempt at singing, and there was a nice pair of stonechats.  The solstice beckons.

Weds 4th

 4 ponies were quite near the bottom trough, all looked fine. 2 cows were just off the path near the top, cudding, looked fine. Bottom trough full, top one down a bit.

Tuesday 3rd December

Pleasant day on the Hill, and the ponies were lined up and waiting for me by the corral when I arrived. Flam and Kat tussled over my attention, or maybe it was my hat they were after. Hoopy is looking really shaggy, but really warm and cosy. Doune kept a watching distance. But all looking really great. 

The cows took a little more finding, but eventually spotted them up by the road fence. As I approached the big black/white one (Dolly?), decided to want to use the path too, so I figured discretion was the better part of valour and back-peddled quickly. But they both looked good and were intently munching away.

Large flock of Black-headed Gulls on the main lake, and Mallards, Tufted Ducks, Wigeon and possibly a Teal on the smaller one. 

Sunday 1st December

 A wet, muddy morning on the hill today. The ponies were gathered in the corral looking rather miserable.

The two cows were up at the top of the track alongside the road.