Timing as tool

There is that old gag 'Ask me what the most important element in comedy is'. 'Ok, what is the most important...' 'Timing'.

 

Doesn't translate well to the written page but I was reminded of it the other day when I was participating in a cricket match at the local cricket club, whose ground was once graced by the sound of leather on Len Hutton's willow...

I say participating because my contribution was four fold

1. well in advance of the coin tossing to eat a wonderful bacon sandwich prepared by the club caterers for us, while reading a the article in the Sunday observer about events in Northern Ireland
2. five minutes before the match to be called into work - I was on call
3. to return as our team  (well, one of our team members , called Stick) hit a fine off drive to win the game so that I was able
4. to tuck into a terrific barbequed beefburger and sausage prepared by the wonderful caterers and 
5. finally to receive a fine (half a coke to be downed or poured on one's head to the harmony of 22 mixed cricketers all wearing red dresses) for reading the paper before the match. (I'd have thought missing the whole match, and not getting a bat while wearing a red sarong, was a far worse crime).

Five fold I mean:

 

Now, I was reminded of timing, not because of my uncanny ability to miss the whole game but because, of course, the thing that really sets the great batsmen out from the less great, if there had to be one thing would be timing...and balance...and hand eye co-ordination...and a firm top hand...and the 10,000 hours spent in the nets while still wearing shorts and a cap

I was a much better tennis player than cricketer, and timing is important in tennis too .

And timing is important in emergency departments...national standards include:

• Having an ECG within 10 minutes if you are having a heart attack...which really means if you having symptoms which MIGHT be a heart attack.
• Getting pain relief within 20 minutes if you are in severe pain (which can mean if you say you are in severe pain, but this does involve judgement on everybody's parts).

I could go on, but it isn't the purpose of this blog post to list the national standards aspired to by emergency departments, more to move timing on from comedy, to sport, to work and on and on.

Hashers call 'on on' when they reach an onward indicator on the floor (or on the top of a gate post or on top of a cow pat...).

 

I deliberately chose to blog about time now, because I thought it would be a short topic, short in duration rather than height. It is timely that I stop because time is short.

On on.