Conkers !

by Simon 21 Replies latest social family

  • Simon
    Simon

    Liam has been a bit disappointed this week 'cause conkers are all the rage at school and he hasn't had any (apart from a couple his friend gave him). Dylan wanted some as well (but he just likes to 'want' what Liam does). So, I promised them that tonight I'd take both off them to get some.

    On a bit of an isolated stretch of road on the way to work, I'd noticed a couple of chestnut trees that were well away from housing estates so hadn't been 'hacked to bits' by local kids. These are big trees. Even so, the branches were weighted down with the clusters of seeds as I drove past.

    So, off we trecked (well, drove there and then trecked from the car). They were both really excited and it was great seeing their faces when they walked towards the trees and saw the ground littered with the things !

    We collected a couple of carrier-bags full (much to Liam's delight) and I saw one woman in a car pulling out of a little lane nearby give us both a real "awe" look & smile at 'dad' taking his son to get conkers (I probably looked like a demented squirrel forraging about with handfuls of nuts).

    Liam is chuffed to bits and tomorrow we'll be off to the shops to buy some shoe laces (to replace mine !)

    Truth be told, I can't wait to teach him to play. Anyone else reliving their childhood? I get the impression that conkers isn't a big thing in the US? Surely it can't be just a British thing can it?

  • Scully
    Scully

    Ummmm.... at the risk of sounding daft.... what do you do with chestnuts that makes them "conkers"?? How is the game played??

    We used to collect chestnuts as kids too, but we'd get mum to toast them in the oven for a treat....

    Love, Scully

  • LittleToe
    LittleToe

    You need to steep them in vinegar for a couple of weeks, before drying them out in salt.

  • Simon
    Simon

    How to play Conkers:

    It's live and kicking where we are (and damn good fun)

    Toughens your knuckles as well !

  • MegaDude
    MegaDude

    Wow, that took me back a few years. When I was a boy and our family lived in England I attended an English elementary school and played conkers all the time. Never had a good conker fight in the States though. It must be an English only thing like double decker buses.

  • Celia
    Celia

    hmmm... roasted chestnuts.... roast goose with a chestnut filling... hmmm...

  • Aztec
    Aztec

    I have never, ever heard of a conker. Must be a British thing. We played marbles when I was a kid. I was pretty good at it too!

    ~Aztec

  • Nosferatu
    Nosferatu

    Must be a british thing. We have acorns here. Acorns taste like crap, and all we do with them is throw them at people.

  • Shakita
    Shakita
    Warning: playing conkers is fun but can be dangerous - you will end up with bruised knuckles until you both get good at aiming your conkers.

    sounds kinda scarey to me.

    Never heard of conkers....just goes to show you that you can learn something new everyday.

  • tinkerbell82
    tinkerbell82

    lol, i saw "Conkers!" and i thought i had learned a new British curse word. darn you for getting my hopes up!

    y'all have some unique passtimes over there, i'll give you that.

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