I counted sixty head of cattle spread out across the open area not far from our home late this afternoon – all munching on the lush kikuyu grass that has responded to the recent rain. This is what the area looked like at the beginning of November:
On Tuesday this week the grass looked like this:
I suspect the municipality deliberately neglects to mow the park lawn – on the other hand, their mowers may be broken … perhaps there really isn’t any money… The Urban Herd doesn’t mind and is congregating in ever greater numbers.
This cow was doing its best to wrench this low branch from the tree growing on the pavement opposite my front gate.
While this group are about to cross the road to join the rest. Note the pretty jacaranda blossoms that are in bloom all over town at the moment.
Something Over Tea 
Die beeste is die munisipaliteit se natuurlike grassnyers… geen petrol of mannekrag nodig nie!😃Ek is so bly oor julle reën en die groenigheid, Anne.
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Die groenigheid is fantasties om te sien en die padda-koor in die aande is so rustig om na te luister.
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What a huge difference! May the rain—just enough!—keep coming.
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The difference the rain makes is visible almost overnight. My hitherto dry and withered garden now looks like a leafy jungle – and the weeds are out in force. I am loving the green look.
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Wonderful!
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How interesting to have cattle just wandering about.
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They never used to, however times have changed. We have become so used to the presence of these cattle now that we recognise individuals. They remain a menace to traffic, especially at night. Numerous donkeys also roam around the suburbs.
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So, what has changed? Are these cattle owned by someone? Are the owners not able to care for them? Or are the cattle now left to themselves in the wild? I have read some of your other posts about this herd. Maybe I should just read them all.
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A new political order has changed the way the town is run. These cattle all have owners, but there seem to be more cattle now than the traditional commonage can support and so they have been allowed to roam free. Some of them are rounded up now and then for whatever reason; many are crudely branded for identification; some – especially the bulls – disappear for good (presumably sold or eaten). In days of yore such ‘stray’ animals would have been impounded. The pound no longer operates and, as it is rumoured that some of these cattle belong to town councillors anyway, nothing will be done to curb their numbers.
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Gosh – what a difference in the grass and so many cattle! I find these updates so interesting.
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I am pleased you do for I cannot resist putting up the odd post about these cattle.
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There is is, ‘my’ jacaranda tree. 🙂
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Ah, I thought of you when I chose that particular photograph!
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What a difference the rain makes… nice to see all that lush green grass, and the jacaranda is stunning as always. Your heart must be happy!
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Very happy indeed. There is even a shallow layer of water in three of the dams I pass regularly that have been bone dry for years. A very shallow layer, but that is a start.
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I miss our cattle. We used to have one Ankole Watusi. They weren’t actually our cattle. They were free range on the nature preserve that abuts our property. They kept breaking through the fences, so they were removed.
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We have become so used to cattle and donkeys roaming around the suburbs now that we actually miss them when they ‘disappear’ every now and then.
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What a difference some rain makes. It looks lovely and so does the jacaranda.
Those are contented looking cows 😊
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They are content at the moment: plenty of grass and several puddles of water to drink from. Our street is lined with jacaranda trees.
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A very pastoral scene for a townscape! The jacaranda is lovely.
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The jacarandas are looking beautiful all over town now.
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Isn’t it lovely to see the grass so green. I bet the air even smells better with some moisture fattening up the molecular cells. I think it is bizarre to have cattle roaming an area. Especially that many. It is an ecologically pleasing way to mow the grass tho.
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There is a delightfully fresh quality to the air – as if the rain has cleansed it. We might get some more light rain during the week, which will be welcome.
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A very familiar scene to me, the rejuvenated grass as well as the munching cows. That one cow may have found a creative solution to scratching an itch!
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It is actually quite peaceful seeing these animals lying down or munching on the grass.
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Sure is!
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Mowers probably broken, but a happy outcome for the cows! 😊. They will do the job where the mowers can’t 😃
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That is one way of looking at it 🙂
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A splendid synecdoche for a Sunday in the opening line…
✨🙏🕉🌱🌿🌳🌻💚🕊☯🐉✨
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Ha ha: I haven’t thought specifically of synecdoches since I retired 🙂
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I was hoping you might appreciate that one!
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What a difference a rain makes
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Reën reën, lieflike reën. Sal ek sommer saam met jou sing, Anne?
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Pingback: This week’s small pleasures #263 – Thistles and Kiwis
BEautiful green grass anne. So glad you had rain there. The cattle seem to like their new eating spot!
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To think that only a few weeks ago there was hardly a blade of grass left!
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Amazing
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Now that is spring green! What a difference some rain makes!
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It certainly does – we are now surrounded by different hues of green 🙂
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It really greened up and the critters are thankful for Mother Nature’s help.
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A bonus for them is that there are large puddles of water around now for them to drink from.
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Yes, I worry about the critters when we had this horrible heat wave this Summer. As for the park where I walk and other shoreline parks, we had quite a lot of algae bloom, so I wondered how the critters survive. The squirrels were looking pretty lethargic sometimes, laying on a tree branch, legs dangling down.
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Anne – there was a story on our local news today about our Detroit Zoo helping out some vultures in South Africa.
https://www.candgnews.com/news/detroit-zoo-vultures-travel-to-south-africa-to-bolster-conservation-program-122301
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Thank you for the link to this interesting article. Vulture conservation is very important in this country.
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You’re welcome Anne. I heard that story on my all-news radio station and thought of you. I did not know about our state’s vulture conservation efforts until yesterday.
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