12 seconds.
I give back 98 :

Wat was was eer was was was?
Eer was was was was was is.

What was wax(= was) before wax(= was )was wax(= was)?
Before wax(= was) was wax(= was) wax( =was), was "is".

wax translates to was.
(was also translates to the noun 'laundry').

TV came in during the sixties. Till then we did silly word games round the central pot of hot potatoes (Van Gogh) while western gales were lashing the trembling windows.