Exploring.

The dogs and I took a walk this afternoon to explore our new territory. This farm is big and intensively cultivated with all the fields irrigated by center pivot irrigation.

Click to enlarge photos.

Some winter wheat ripening. 

Some very curious calves.

"What do you think it is?" These calves found Bruno facinating.

"I'm the man!" This big guy also came to say hello.

Threatening skies and a fence line stretching to the horizon.

"The promise". A rainbow stretches across the sky.

A center pivot irrigation system stretching way into the distance. (this picture needs to be enlarged). The water for these irrigation machines comes from the Little Bushmans river that runs through the farm. To explore this stream is one of my priorities, fish that might be found in it are Natal Yellow fish, (scaley) and small mouth bass.

Curiosity of youth.

While I was fishing at Grantchester yesterday, I heard the clatter of little hoofs behind me. I looked and saw a whole bunch of calves galloping down the hill behind me, for a moment I thought they were going to run right over me and into the water. At the last moment they swerved and ended up under some pin oaks to my right, where they stopped, butting each other and kicking their back legs in the air, full of the joy's of spring.

Moments later I heard more hooves, this time their mothers were galloping down the hill in hot pursuit of their offspring. They also swerved at the last moment, and joined the calves under the trees, entered the water and started drinking. Just as I thought I was safe a lone cow came galloping down the hill, (45 degree slope) straight at me. I was just considering the option of jumping into the water to escape certain death, when she made a couple of sharp zig zags to the right and left and came to a stop with her legs splayed out, about 2 meters from me. The cow was panting from her run and then had quite a coughing fit. If cows could look embarrassed, I'm sure she looked embarrassed. ("Not quite as fit as I used to be, motherhood sure takes it out of you").

The whole lot of them must have stood on the top of the hill watching me and decided, "let's give that old man down there the fright of his life!" Well they almost succeeded, it was very close.

The cows drank their fill of the cool clear water. The calves? Well the calves had milkshake!

This little fellow, a bull calf, approached me along the bank, nose outstretched, to within a metre of me. When I lifted the camera to take his portrait he bounded up the hill behind me, still very curious.

Then they all wandered off a little way, fun over, the mums thirst slaked, over to where the little ones had their milkshake, and they all lay down for an early morning siesta.  

I think these are Charolais beef cattle, (Bos taurus).

Photo: Wikipedia.

The little guy in the photo above could end up looking like this. Sure am glad that dad wasn't with them!