Fun with Conkers

I remember the day back in September 2009... I had just started my new job and was walking around the corner to the shop with my head down probably wondering that the hell I was doing here and if I'd ever remember to ask people for their surname rather than their last name when I noticed loads of spikey rounded "things" on the ground.  I wondered first if they were shells protecting a living thing like a tiny spikey shelled turtle, but when I gingerly picked one up, it was empty inside and I was perplexed. 

My spikey find
Image: mine

I took my spikey "thing" home to my husband and he infomed me it was the outside of a conker (a horse chestnut). They grow on trees and squirrels (and maybe birds?) eat the conker (its a seed really) inside and leave the spikey bits on the ground which is why I kept finding them empty...until today!

I have finally found a lovely whole conker in it's spikey shell!   Why is this exciting, you ask?  Because now I can play conkers!  Hooray! 

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention -  a conker is the seed inside a spikey shell that squirrels eat, but is also a game that children play with the seed part. To play conkers, you need a large whole conker (just the inside) which you will drill or skewer through. Then put a string through the hole and tie at the end creating a conker on a string.  Your opponent will have the same thing and one of you will hold your string at the top letting the conker dangle down while the other swings his and tries to smash yours to bits.   (just a side note, before this was properly explained to me, I thought kids played with conker still inside the spikey shell which I still think sounds a lot more exciting than the real version of the game!)

Conker swing in action
Image: Ashton Conker Club

Once you have defeated another conker, yours is upgraded to a one-er (one victory), and then the next win makes it a two-er and so on.  Also, if you beat another "ranked" conker, you take on their victories too - you keep your victories (two), take their victories (five) and then get a point for beating them (one) making you an eight-er.   Note: the conker adds up the victories, not the person!

Since my new conker hasn't beaten anyone, he's called a none-er.* Boo-hoo.  And here he is as found:

Conker hiding in his shell
Image: mine

Looks like a winner to me!  I peeled back the shell (its not really a shell since its quite soft, but I dont know what other word to use) to reveal this...

WTF mutated tiny twin testicular conkers?!  Those won't beat the kids on the playground!

Guess I'll keep looking.... My first game will have to wait.  I'll keep you posted.


*Regional verbage may vary

You Capture: Fall/Autumn

Fall (or Autumn as they seem to use exclusively in the UK) is my favourite time of year.

This is now my second Fall in England, but last year I was a bit overwhelmed with everything else happening (you know, that whole moving to another country thing) that I never really paid proper attention to the change in season.  This year, I'm realizing its really beautiful and love Fall more than ever.

I have seen these orange berries everywhere this Fall. 

I love all the different coloured leaves.

You can participate in You Capture too.  See what its all about here. 

You Capture: Togetherness

This photo serves two purposes:   It makes up for last week's lack of flowers and is an interesting display of "togetherness" or maybe more of a juxtaposition, really.  I love that these summery bright flowers can grow directly in front of (what looks like) winter holly.
High-five, Nature!

You Capture: Flowers

Um... is a tree a flower?  Kind of?   Not at all?  Well, in celebration of today's Autumn Equinox it is.  Hooray for Fall!