Can we talk about conkers?

[Ohwhatfuckeryitistoride]

There are sooooo many of them this year, the paths were covered in them this morning. And they are absolutely huge! I love conkers, can't resist picking one or two up and carrying them around. So tactile and soothing.

Yes! I've been coming across huge ones! I found a massive one today and half of it was flat. Not because it had been stepped on, it was just the way it was. I love the way it felt in my hands. And the colour!

Lol I have a pocket full of them from when I was out with my nephew - keep forgetting to empty it

They are just so shiny and beautiful. They make me smile.

They do, don't they? And it was great to see little kids out with their adults going conkering.

I picked a huge one up the other day lol! My DD was like seriously mum

There’s a huge horse chestnut tree near me and I love collecting conkers from it. This year they fell a couple of weeks ago and there are none left now but going back about 10 years they used to fall during October half term.

I like it when you find the Conker with their shell and you can put them back together. I love the colour and the way they feel in my hand

I was walking back from the shop with an absolutely rammed and heavy rucksack full of shopping. Saw some conkers and thought, ohhhh, I'd love a few of those. Bent over to pick them up and the weight of my shopping topped me over so I was on my hands and knees trying not to do head over heels. In the high street.

I'm in my sixties so should know better.

It’s a Mast year as I learnt on another thread, which means there’s an absolute abundance of acorns, conkers, horse chestnuts - I can’t walk on the pavements at the moment without almost turning my ankle as the ground is just littered in them.

My mum has been collecting them for a friend who insists they deter spiders from coming into your house. Not sure how true that is.

🤣🤣

@XenoBitch The reason I wanted to pick up the conkers was because my friend told me they scared off spiders. After my tumble I got home with a pocket full of conkers and thought I'd look it up.

Sadly they don't deter spiders, but they do look pretty all the same.

There are lines of horse chestnut trees where I walk my dog and I am unable to resist their shiny allure.
My DH is busy judging the current generation of schools/rules/children that there are so many left.
But there is something so compelling and irresistible about them.
I currently have a bowl full in my kitchen...

Every autumn I pick up the first one I see and bring it home - no idea why 😆

I love the feel of them fresh out of the shell. We have a few trees nearby and I am always picking them up for my kids to not care about. They end up all shriveled and dry and go on the compost heap.

Last year there was no beech mast locally (we have a mature beech in the garden) and no acorns from local trees. This year there are masses. I’ve also noticed far more berries than usual on local pyracanthas, , ditto holly. Apparently it’s been a good year for fruits in general - a dd is awash with apples, and recently ditto with plums.

Sad children don't put them on a string and play conkers anymore.

Nancy Birtwhistle has a recipe for creating laundry detergent from conkers.

I remember being at primary school in the 80's and if you wanted massive social points you would gather an absolutely massive carrier bag of conkers, take them into school and then when everyone was in the playground before the bell you'd yell "scramble" and chuck the whole bag everywhere so everyone was running round trying to get them.

All I remember was how hopeless I was at playing and how sore my fingers were by the end of a game, but the real excitement was in the preparation, getting the kebab skewer to make the hole and then find a shoelace, normally from dbs trainers!

We live opposite woods and me and DD have been popping in every day or so to find some. They’re soooo smoooooth 😍 sad thing is they soon go wrinkly when we get them home!

One or two?? I stuff all my pockets with them several times a week, bringing home 50 some days! I admire and handle them, scatter them under sofas, behind furniture and in the bath to try and deter spiders, and throw handfuls into other hedges that may just have space for a chestnut tree. Sometime my DGS draws faces on them with a Sharpie, or colours them.

Then I forget, and block the hose on my Henry hoover when vacuuming under said sofas!

Note to self. Pick up conkers from back garden.
(We live next door to a school with a horse chestnut tree in the grounds by our shared boundary).

Ive seen it. Life is too short.
Never knew about mast years. Love conkers, but it means the path will be treacherous with.beech nuts.

I like finding one in its casing and gently treading on.it to.popthe nut out.

The smell of conkers always makes me feel sick. No idea why!