Friday started the same as any other.

5.57am – cat meowed non-stop for two minutes wanting to be fed.

5.58 – I got up, went to the bathroom and put on my running gear.

6.00 – downstairs the dog stretched and waited for the cat to lead me to his food.

6.01 – dog pretended to attack the cat, cat bolts for food, I fed it and tell the dog that she’s good while giving her a pat.

6.04 – out the door, dog toileted and we started our run.

6.26 – I’ve run along the road beside the bush, turnaround and am heading back onto the beach where I let the dog off the lead so she could run free.

6.40 – I’ve finished my run and am ready to leave the beach for a slow walk home. That’s when things started to be a little bit different.

6.41 – I realise the usual path off the beach has been blocked by a large expanse of water, partly from the rain the previous night and partly due to a higher than usual tide.

6.45 – I’ve walked to both ends of this new lake and realise it is not possible to walk around. I take off my shoes and walk across while the dog has one last swim.

6.46 – we’re on the other side and walking up the rocky pathway when I hear a ‘mooooo’ followed by another one. I realise then that the path is likely to be blocked by at least two cows.

6.47 – the dog is only just back on the lead when I see a cow’s head come around the corner. Thinking that this is just another big dog that smells a little different, my dog wants to play. I hold her back as another three cows come into view.

6.51 – a total of 14 feral cows had walked past including a calf that would only have been a few weeks old. It stumbled a few times and was interested to play with the dog too. A few cows had come up to sniff her and then mooooved on. I hear a deep ‘moo’ as a bull came into view. It is huge and long with eyes that rolled back in its head when it saw the dog and I. Another deep ‘moo’ is heard that is clearly from further up the path.

6.52 – I’m running late now but I remained still, waiting for the other bull to come down the path. It’s a thin path that would not fit the bull, the dog and I comfortably, particularly if the dog thought she could play with it.

6.54 – finally the herd has all arrived at a little clearing just before the beach and the dog and I can now walk home.

7.01 – I arrived home and began to get ready for work.

Saturday morning, Mr Shallot competed in the inaugural Lantau Beer Dash – a 5km fun-run where a different international beer was drunk each kilometre to raise money for the feral cows and water buffalo of Lantau Island.

Yes, we are still living in Hong Kong.

* Thanks to the Foo Fighters for the title to this post.