Cowslip

Lynton

Lynton & Clover

Fremmington & Freezer

Cowslip, Lilac & Cinnamon

Clover, Lilac & Cinnamon

Cinnamon

Cowslip. . .don't you want to stroke her?

Today, I'd like to introduce you to my first ever group of cows I knew.

The photographs above are also my first ever photographs of cows.

And I still remember their names: Cowslip, Lynton, Clover, Cinnamon, Freezer, Lilac, Fremmington, Jet & Lavender. They were the forerunners. My first experience of cows, feeling close to them, walking around the field with them following close behind. I gave them bunches of leaves and fresh grass from the neighbouring field. They came and sat down when I did, got up when I did and then chased me round the field and I chased them! Some were mixed Charolais, one a Devon Red and one a Fresian as there were 2 calves in the field needing milk. I wasn't sure who the calves belonged to, I guessed it was Clover.

Cowslip was my true friend. I was 13 at the time, alone with my parents in Devon and I think she knew that. We became very close and I gave her her name 'Cowslip' (she didn't complain).
Every morning I would call her name across the gate and usually she would be at the end and her head would go up, she'd see me and then come galloping up! I used to climb over the gate and sit down, leaning against the gate and she would put her head to mine and press gently, head to head and stay like that for sometime. It was truely magical. I really felt honoured. A full grown cow, wanting to spend her time with little old me!

Leaving them was hard. It was that summer that I finally had to stop eating beef. I kept imagining that any steak I had since would have been Cowslip. I don't remember a tearful goodbye, I don't even remember the goodbye. At that time I wasn't aware that I might not see her again. So we left in the last week of August. But we were back in November. I searched for her, my God, did I search for her and I found her! A mile away in a different field with Clover, Cinnamon, Lynton and Lilac. It was raining hard and she was with another herd of cows. I stood by the gate and called her name. Within an instance, her head shot up and she came running! I'll never forget that. She remembered me, she recognised my voice and she recognised me. She nudged me and head-butted me and mooed gently in my ear! That was the last time I saw her. But her picture is still on my bed side table, as it always will be, years from now. Sometimes I dream about her, but not lately. It's been a long, long time now, but I still remember her VERY well.

Oh dear, this all brings tear to my eyes. I'll stop there for tonight.

Emy x