Autumn is fast approaching and years ago, in our day, that meant the opening of the Brigg conker season.
The stock for this popular and free primary school pupil pastime came courtesy of the horse chestnut trees on Wrawby Road, near the entrance to the cemetery.
Youngsters dashed down after school and early on Saturday and Sunday mornings to see if the wind had dislodged any more conkers to use in their games.
Soaking in vinegar and "baking" them in the oven was not allowed in the makeshift rules. Opponents got really sniffy about such alleged cheating.
Looking up at the conker trees when we took this picture on Sunday suggests that 2017 might well see a decent crop.
But do any Brigg youngsters still string conkers as we used to do?
And, more to the point, does today's 'elf and safety' culture allow it?
With bits of shell always likely to be sent flying by the impact of conker on conker, goggles might be the minimum requirement.
3 comments:
Nah!!
The 'elf and safety was a total misquote by a national newspaper.
Concerned by the red tape involved in arranging a school trip, a head teacher in the Lake District made the cynical comment that 'they' will want the pupils to wear goggles when playing cookers next.
This was skewly quoted in a tabloid newspaper that Health and Safety officials were making the schools pupils to wear eye protection.
Despite the correction by the irate head teacher, the falsehood has prevailed.
Similarly, the EU has never banned over-bent bannanas.....the actuality was that fruit importers within the EU had prepared guidelines for grades of fruit...Class 1, Class 2, Grade 3...deformed fruit were grouped in the lowest classication.
Again an anti-EU newspaper claimed the EU had actually banned bent bannanas .....!!
Both misquotes have survived in the urban legends....both have been grossly twisted from the truth....
Ps....soak the conkers in liquid wood hardner...tins available at Brian's DIY ...kids need to be supervised.
Conkers become iron hard....
Another grossly wrong claim about the EU is that the unelected EU Commission vote on laws and procedures which affect the UK.
The fact is that EU Commisioners act like the British civil servants who advise our own MP's...they never, nor do they have the authority to vote.....that is left to elected the Members of the European Parliament..another urban legend that sceptics roll out from time to time...
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