Walk with a surprise ending!

Decided to walk on the moor today.  The woodland where one of the pathways starts is up for sale.  Obviously the current owner has relinquished responsibility for the footpath as it was totally overgrown at the start with long grass, brambles and nettles. Hard to see where the path ran, and a child ahead of me was screaming as the nettles were stinging her face!  Once the path cleared it was straightforward.  Before turning onto the moor I could hear a lot of noise from the sheep across the nearby road so wandered down to see what was going on. Nothing to see, but they sounded very distressed and were running from one field to another. There was a big mound of wool in the middle of one field and I wondered if there had been a dog loose in there which had upset them.  Walking back across to the moor and struggling to open the gate which has been made rather difficult with deep ruts from a tractor, a farmer stopped and asked which way I was going.  I explained and he told be to keep to the footpaths as “people have been wandering all over lately”. I said I always did. There were signs up about it being private land and to stick strictly to the marked paths.  Wonder if the new owner of the renovated farm is going to make things difficult?! Some lovely calves in the field stared intently as I passed by.  Very cute.  I had a walk right round the moor and the long range views were of a moody sky over the two local villages (extras).  I startled a sparrow hawk in the long grass which then took off - tried to get a shot of it circling round, but no joy.  Some lovely flowers around including more lovely yellow flag irises.  A nice breeze kept the heat at bay, and I wandered part way back down the road and then through the gate leading to a steep path down to my original route.  As I went to step through a gap between fence and wall something stopped me, and I looked down to see a female pheasant on the pathway.  She looked spooked, but hesitant to move.  I went to check if she was injured and she reluctantly stood up and 12 tiny pheasant chicks shot out in all directions!  I only managed to capture one in a photo, but they were adorable!.  Mum was now in the bushes and calling to her brood, and they thankfully all made their way back to her.  Such a lovely thing to see, but not the best of places to lie down with your babies!  Made my day!