It used to be that children in the UK experienced a six-seven week Summer Holiday from school. I think the schools used to go back a week or two later than they do today – following the privatisation of the schooling system and the intereference in British culture by the EU. Scotland has already implemented the EU’s preferred Summer Holiday of just “four-weeks” in the Summer! The son of my Scottish friend routinely went back to school during the last week of August. Ridiculous. British Summer Holidays were designed for young people – initially children only of well-off families – would return home to assist their local communities in harvesting the crops. By the time I was at school in the 1970s, we would return to school and more or less immediately walk into “Conkering” time. Horse-Chestnuts would fall from the trees and children use to collect them – driving a hole through the centre of each and inserting a knotted string.
Two people would face-off in a Conkering Competition – with one holding their stringed conquer “still” – whilst the opponent “swung” their stringed conquer at it with as much force as they could muster. The impact would either do nothing – damage and/or smash the conker. The swing could also miss. I seem to remember the one strike each – or agreed number of strikes – often three-swings each. Today, children still marvel at the dropping of horse-chestnuts – but do not really know what to do with them. Kai-Lin, my ten-year old daughter, has gathered-up about 20 conkers from the local park. It seems that local schools banned Conkering due to injuries being sustained by participants and those watching. Although not officially banned – this draconian approach amounted to much the same effect.
