26th September 2025
A couple of days ago our car went in for it’s annual service. My wife handed me my dad’s conker “just incase” it was tidied up in the valet.
My dad’s conker lives in the handle pocket of the car. Mostly I don’t think about it, but then the car goes to the garage and I hold it again, along with all the memories. It survived a car break-in a few years ago where the thief stole my trolley pound but overlooked the treasure and left the conker where it was.
The conker is one of the few objects I have that was my dads. After he died, I cleared out his beloved garage and it is there, amongst a million nails and widgets that I found his conker. He’d taught us to conker as kids in the 70’s and as an older man he had entered the conker world championships which got him featured, albeit briefly, on Blue Peter* who were filming the grand event.
I was lucky to have a good dad, and even though his conker has lost it’s gloss and is showing it’s age I like to hold it in my hand, every now and then and remember him.
*if you’re not in the UK, Blue Peter is a British children’s tv show that has been running since 1958.
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Hi - I’m Cara, a Graphic Recorder, Illustrator and trainer working in the UK.
As well as The JOTT I write The Visual Edit, & host the graphic recorder club for Graphic Recorders, live illustrators and sketchnoters.
My book, Draw a Better Business is a visual thinking toolkit for creative thinking small business owners.
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