Tickets were made available to the cathedral parishioners and then to the rest of the diocese. After that the general public could apply. So I was in like Flynn. I think I was probably among the first. And tickets duly arrived for me and my little mother. Great excitement.
And then of course it was 'what to wear, what to wear'. Anyway youngest daughter took me shopping and we found a lovely jacket to wear with my good trousers but unfortunately on the day I felt the cold. Plan B came into effect and I wore the coat my sister had sent me from Australia and I'd only worn once before. Little mother wore her nice light jacket and looked lovely and insisted she wasn't feeling the cold. They made them hardy in those days.
We set off and arrived in plenty of time, went through the police check at the gate, we common people didn't get to go up the steps at the front, we went in through a side door and past several policemen. One young copper got quite embarrassed apparently when he had to tell the bishop he couldn't park his car in his usual place.
No cameras allowed inside so no photo's. I did say to my GKB to bring the camera and take a photo of us outside the cathedral - but he forgot. Never mind, such is life. He wasn't that interested really and was just acting as taxi driver on the day. So I made sure he took one when we arrived home and before we went inside.
