mostly david ephgrave

This afternoon, I’ll be taking part in what is the Ephgrave family equivalent of playing with fire: I will be sitting around a table, playing board games with my mum. Her problem is she is incredibly competitive. Not in a friendly, low-key, “I'm having a bit of laugh” way; more in a high stakes, no-holds-barred, “I must succeed at all costs” way. The ruthless ambition displayed when she has a plastic counter at her fingertips must be seen to be believed; if one of her ancestors was responsible for a totalitarian dictatorship, I wouldn’t be shocked. Unfortunately, my mother’s killer instinct will often bring out the worst in me; I evidently inherited the same cutthroat genes, in a slightly watered down form. She will also delight in my personal gaming misfortunes; the unabated joy she exudes when I get an answer wrong is similar to that of a multi-million pound lottery winner. She also doesn’t play fair. A good example to...