Iddy iddy onker, my first conker.......

The title of this post is the first line in a chant used when playing Conkers. The popular name for the seeds of the Horse Chestnut, and for the game played with them.  It is thought that the name conkers might have perhaps derived from a previous game called ‘conquerors’ or ‘conquering’, using snail shells .
For me, I cannot walk past conkers on the ground without picking them up. These were the ones I collected this morning on the way to the shops and put into my pocket. I just love these seeds when they are so shiny and newly fallen. It 's a sure sign that  Autumn has arrived. My first conkers of 2011 and Hooray for Autumn.