It's a building, it's my spiritual home, I can see it from my study, I can hear the bells ringing out all the daily services, it goes a beautiful pink colour in the light at the end of a sunny day.

I want to make this pilgrimage to re-connect with the cathedral, connect in a different day as well as find out about its history - I go in regularly but know nothing about the history and I'm sure there a hidden nooks and crannies and stories.
I discovered recently that the Harvard chapel for example has the symbols from Emmanuel College in Cambridge in it because of the link with Harvard and that's where I studied.

It's where Chaucer's pilgrims probably went before setting off on their pilgrimage after they had been to the Tabard Inn.

It's also where I got married almost exactly two years ago so part of what's emerging in this pilgimage for me is looking back to that time and the joy of that day: the bells ringing out, calling us to the service, walking through the market with my family in my princess dress, and the nerves and the thrill of getting married and having friends around and then walking down to the Old Thameside Inn past the Golden Hinde for our reception and staying in a hotel overlooking the river that night.
Also thinking about what's happened in the last two years - measuring time past - how I've changed, stayed the same, developed, how our relationship is, what my relationship is to the cathedral.

So I saw September 11th as my opportunity to take a day out to explore my spiritual home and I've asked, Guy, who was warden at the cathedral and who is a fount of knowledge and stories to be my guide for the day.

So often I don't get time to pause, reflect, explore. I spend a lot of time involved in the community but it's in terms of making sure the residents views get heard in this rush to develop Bankside and regenerate for the millenium. I find I'm quite negative, confrontational and critical. I often forget that what drives me is loving this area and the cathedral is at the centre of that. I often forget where my nourishment comes from so this is an opportunity for me to start my year on a sound basis.

My tale will be about what I discover on the day with Guy and on my own - hopefully there will be the historic and the fun elements as well as the more reflective and meditative bits. I know for example that James 1st of Scotland was married here to the niece of Cardinal Beaufort who he spied from his cell in the Tower of London and wrote a poem to. Unfortunately once married and returned to Scotland he was murdered. Elizabeth 1st attended a wedding here.
As for past parishioners I'm sure there's a lot to discover there.
So my tale will be a weaving together of the historical and personal threads of my experience and the past of Southwark Cathedral.