Mum’s the word: her advice is good for life

AS SHE watched a TV documentary about the foot-and-mouth epidemic in England, author Valerie Bowe wasn’t surprised by the news that thousands of sheep had to be put down.

But she was taken aback by another, unexpected consequence of the outbreak — flock memory was lost and young lambs kept falling off mountains because there were no older sheep left to guide them.

Humans, too, need guidance from those who have gone before — and, for many of us, it’s the small maternal wisdom that stays with us through our lives.