They all have names

It was a lovely day for weather. 

I went out to walk this afternoon. I took the road to Lincoln Hill, then cut across country towards the quarry and to Heatheridge Farm. In a field of stubble I found a small herd of cattle, looking the worse for wear. They were eating silage.

At the farmyard, I stopped to talk to the very healthy looking cows in the barn. They will be coming out for summer grazing in due course, but they were chomping on silage too.

Then Sarah, the farmer, appeared and added feed to the troughs. She was happy to chat and tell me about the cows. The ones in the field are hers, but she has just bought them - she rescued them - for a farm where they were in terrible conditions. She reckons that three weeks of good feeding and minerals will bring them into much better shape.

Then they will be moved to the Town Moor in Newcastle for summer grazing. Sarah is one of only two women with grazing rights on the moor. The grazing rights belong to hereditary freemen on the city. Until 2009, these were all men.

I stayed for ages while Sarah regaled me with tales of the cows. She has names for them all and handles them regularly. Not only did she agree to being photographed, but she went in with the cows and introduced me to them by name.

Although you can't see her in the main image, I love the way she is holding the cow so gently and lovingly. In the extra you see her with a few of her cows behind her.

I nearly did not go for the walk, but I'm very glad I did.