A new game to us that at one time was big in the UK is the game of Conkers. I am wondering if any of our friends in northern US states have every played this game.
Each autumn children go out in search of the horse chestnut tree. This fruit of this tree looks like the sweet chestnut of Christmas fame…”Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” only it is inedible and only good for fun and games. A friend told Meg and I that if you find a horse chestnut tree you should keep it a secret. You peel the outside pokey shell off and save the nut inside. The nuts are dried and hardened sometimes for a full year.
A small hole is drilled through the nut then a strong string like a shoelace is knotted on.
The kids, and sometimes adults, take turns taking swings with their conkers at another player’s conker.
The round of play ends when a conker is broken or there by “defeated” by another.
We would love to hear conker stories from you. This is all new to us. How old is the most champion conker? What ways have you found to “harden’ the surface to make them stronger? Have any of you been in a real conker championship?
GILESGATE JOURNAL 
We discovered conkers in 1982 and our boys still talk about them today. No, we haven’t won any championships. You brought smiles to Jordan and me.
Doesn’t sound like anything I played or that I would want to. I was into Hide-n-Seek and Kick the Can all those difficult ones. Really are enjoying your writings one and all. We will talk Sat. I hope.
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