DON'T CHILDREN PLAY.....

…..conkers any more? Well obviously not, judging by the amount of conkers under the horse chestnut tree just over the road from where we live.

Conkers is a traditional children’s game - and if you want to know more, have a look here.

According to Mr. HCB, who played the game when he was a young lad, he used to bake his conkers or soak them in vinegar to harden them but before doing this, he said, you made a hole in the conked with a skewer because if you left it until afterwards, the hole had to be drilled - a much more difficult operation! As it was, he remembered that he often skewered his hand whilst making the holes.

It has obviously stirred many memories for him looking at these photographs. He said that he often went to school with about 10 conkers in his pocket and a spare piece of string - it was a serious business back then!

Apparently, because of Health and Safety issues, conkers is no longer allowed in many schools because of the fear of injury and Mr. HCB is very scathing about this - he told me he often climbed trees, fell but just got up and climbed the tree again - and he turned out all right.

I was amazed to see so many conkers and couldn’t decide which photograph to use, so made this collage, which has the seal of approval from an old conker player who willingly shared his reminiscences. Perhaps I should have brought a few conkers home with me - I’m sure Mr. HCB would have enjoyed a game!

“We do not stop playing
because we grow old,
we grow old
because
we stop playing!”
Benjamin Franklin