New year, old game

Last night we stayed in with the kids. We had been out the night before in a 'dive' bar listening to bluegrass music (oh god, banjo tunes) with some of our neighbours. Culturally challenging it may have been, but we had a good time and were quite happy to have give a low-key welcome to 2012.

Dad said, while he was over here for xmas, that when he was a kid it was a tradition in his house that they played Monopoly on Hogmanay. It seemed like a good way to pass some time so at about 9pm we set out the board on the coffee table in front of the fire. The most essential player was Chris. Sadly, it is a fact universally acknowledged that whenever our three children play a board game without their father's glowering eye upon them, it is only a matter of time before one of them will up-end the board in a tantrum. And it seems that the boys are more or less subdued by the paternal eye these days.

Not so Maddie (aged 6).

Although she didn't actually tip the board over, she did manage to steal about twenty thousand pounds from the bank (ok - so I was the softie banker), renege on various debts and appropriate a property without handing over any of her loot whatsoever. She offered criminal violence to her elder brother when asked to stump up for landing on the electric company and when things were clearly not going her way she retired to the sofa with Nina (large black dog) and her thumb for comfort. I wonder if Al Capone ever sucked his thumb?

So today at 3pm the boys and their Dad are going to have a proper game without the cheater of the house allowed anywhere near. I imagine my job is to distract the miscreant. In the meantime, I am toying with doing a 365 (or 366) photo challenge this year. I may not even make it through January, but here is a picture taken today. Points will be awarded to anyone spotting the problem with our Edinburgh Monopoly set.