Conkers

When I started primary school. People used to collect conkers. The purpose was to ...well in theory you would place a cord through a drilled out conker and challenge a similarly equipped opponent. Whom would strike your conker as it was suspended from the cord. By swinging at yours pendulum style. However I remember seeing this only once. It must have been a baneful month at my primary school for the Dinner Ladies. There was a horse chesnut tree in a fenced off area of the school. Come september they would spend there afternoons chasing us out of said appendage. Admonishing us to go up to the Common. Where there where conkers by the sackfull. As the common was quite far away this was strange advice. Indeed across one of the cities main traffic arteries. I remember improvising a set of maracas from some conkers and a plastic flask. I had forgotten they were in my desk. People swore they cooked them and soaked them in vinegar. I do not know if that is true. I know that a quarter century later. They caught my eye today