Meet Ember and Rory, our red Highland cattle

Meet Ember and Rory, the red half of our Highland cattle crew. Gandalf and Astarion are the grey half. Four very good names, and rather a lot of hair.

It's Ember and Rory in this photograph, complete with a mouthful of grass and fringes that could do with a trim. We're quite fond of the scruffy look. The horns might be impressive, but it's hard to look terribly imposing with your lunch hanging out of your mouth.

The cattle are part of the farm we're gradually making our own at Riverdell, in Currowan between Braidwood and Batemans Bay. When we first took on the property, there was practical work to get stuck into: access, amenities and the cabin. Alongside those jobs, we've been getting to know the creek, the paddocks and the bush around us. Having four named faces in the paddock adds another part to that picture.

For anyone coming to stay, Riverdell is a working family property as well as a farmstay. Please leave gates as you find them and stick to designated guest areas. The cattle need their own space, however tempting those shaggy faces might be.

So that's the red pair introduced. Gandalf and Astarion will have to share the attention—there's enough fringe to go around.