Columns Fall Down, Get Up Again- a Column by John Connor Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Woman Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Woman by John Connor | July 10, 2020 Share this article: Share article via email Copy article link In this case, the woman in question was yet again my wife, Jane. The hour in question was 4 p.m. on my usual day of writing. But on this day, writing had to be forgotten until a stint later at night (yawn). I had an entertainment Zoom call to partake in. Then dinner of an excellent vegetable rice concoction that contained vegan schnitzels, thanks again to Jane. It was all as usual at my own instigation. This very night, July 7, was the 30th anniversary of my stage show, “The Edge.” So, for a change, I joined in the show’s regular podcast recording at 4 p.m. I’ll probably write about it next week ā if I make the edit! It’s been set in concrete for a couple of weeks. As is the way that everything seems to happen, Jane took a call about a long-awaited adaptation to my new bed. It needs to be lengthened, as MS hasn’t stopped me from still being 6 feet tall ā at least when lying down. They’d be here in a couple of hours. Could they not do so between 4 and 5 p.m.? This photo of my bed was taken by my wife, Jane, as I’m no longer 6 feet tall in my wheelchair. (Courtesy of John Connor) With my laptop, desk, and therefore all of my showbiz paraphernalia beside the bed, there was no easy way to move me. So, she moved the bed, just in (pillow?) case. Because it’s a hospital profiling bed on wheels, this was relatively easy. I am now living downstairs, where our living room has large partition doors. For nearly 10 years, this room had housed my 50th birthday present, a pool table I found increasingly difficult to play, let alone beat anybody! Still, it was a joy. You do what you can when you can. My adaptation of the common statement used by my first neurologists (and indeed many others I’ve met on my medical journey), “Use it or lose it,” is “Use it or lose it, as whatever you do, you may lose it anyway.” Our plans of touring Europe also have been curtailed by that which cannot be named. We were seriously looking at eating at the famed Danish restaurant Noma, and we were even on the waiting list. Back to that hour in question. The bed techs obviously did turn up, right in the middle of my Zoom call. They lengthened the bed, and I didn’t hear a thing. Without my wife’s quick thinking, it would have all gone Pete Tong. (This is U.K. rhyming slang for “it’s gone a bit wrong,” which may have been first used to refer to U.K. DJ Pete Tong in a 1987 article about acid house called “Bermondsey Goes Balearic.” It also was used as the title of a movie about him.) It’s Jane’s birthday this week, and I was meaning to do a mashup (I’ve gone old-school DJing again) of her diary about being a carer and my thoughts on being the “caree.” (OK, that is a made-up word. But writers are allowed to do that as long as their editor lets them.) Jane, of course, would have final approval of any copy I submitted. We were going to do it if it weren’t for that Pete Tong! *** P.S.: I thought “cometh the hour, cometh the man” came from the Bible, Shakespeare, or Churchill, but it may be attributable to an English cricketer instead. (No, I’m not about to explain cricket.) One website claims that “it was notably used (about himself) by Cliff Gladwin, the Derbyshire and England cricketer, during the first Test Match against South Africa at Durban (20 December 1948). England were 117 for 8 requiring 128 to win, when Gladwin walked out to bat, remarking to Dudley Nourse, the South Africa captain, as he did so: āCometh the hour, cometh the man!ā The last ball of the match hit Gladwin on the thigh and he and Alec Bedser ran a leg-bye to win the match for England.” *** Note: Multiple Sclerosis News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Multiple Sclerosis News Today or its parent company, BioNews Services, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to multiple sclerosis. Print This Page About the Author John Connor In the ā80s, John Connor created the first regular column about the burgeoning London stand-up scene. In 1990 he wrote a book about its effect on the Edinburgh Festival: āComics: A Decade of Comedy at the Assembly Rooms.ā That year he also devised and ran a live topical stand-up team show at The London Comedy Store, The Edge (It was destroyed in 2020!). In 2009 John was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS, which cut short his main job as a TV casting director for āBlack Books,ā āMy Family,ā et al. Now, John writes āFall Down Get Up Again,ā an irreverent journey with MS. Tags anniversary, comedy Comments Leave a comment Fill in the required fields to post. Your email address will not be published. Your Name Your Email Your Comment Post Comment
April 19, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD AAN 2024: Long-term data support early Kesimpta start in relapsing MS
April 18, 2024 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Learning how to write a ‘SOAP’ note feels different after an MS diagnosis
April 18, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS AAN 2024: Sustained myelin, nerve cell gains with long-term CNM-Au8