Friday 2 October 2009

Bonkers for Conkers.

When a young lad, my friends and I would venture what seemed at the time to the end of the world for the fabled king conker. The king conker would enable the lucky owner to vanquish all foes in the battle to the death (well sore knuckles) that schoolboy conker competitions seemed to resemble. My policeman father when patrolling Lord Derby's estate once brought me home a sack of huge beautiful shiny conkers,the ownership of which made me a very popular chap for a couple of weeks. Now as a grown man I am the proud owner of dozens of trees and it seems thousands of conkers. I think it is time to initiate my youngest daughter Princess OTW into the mysterious world of conkers and dream that she will surpass her fathers record of once owning a sixer...I can but dream.(to American readers I can only say"you don't know what you are missing")

5 comments:

haddock said...

ahh ! I remember well the sudden pain and blood as the steel skewer ( we used to get them in the meat delivered by the butcher ) made a quicker than expected hole through the conker and into the palm of the hand..the rapped knuckles, the "rope burns" of the string pulled suddenly through clenched fingers....

how we laughed !

interestingly ( or not depending on your viewpoint ) a Victorian book I have on trees and the lore that is associated with each makes no mention of conkers.... a sort of proof by omission that conkers is not that old a tradition. I've seen a argument that snail shell were used originally and that conch is the root of the word conkers.

Thud said...

Haddock...I remember getting a good telling off for pinching my older sisters shoe laces in lieu of string.

Lord Roby said...

No stamps!

Philipa said...

I remember all sorts of tricks to get conkers hardened to beat all opposition. Some said soak it in vinegar, then dry it out in a slow oven. Some said just the oven.

Vinogirl said...

I remember the vinegar trick, and something to do with Heinz Ideal sauce...or was that getting old coins clean?
Or was Thud just pulling my leg?