On the stroke of 9 a.m. the sound of drums was carried into Kensington Oval. And from inside came the echo of gunshots as the Barbados Defence Force began a 19-gun salute.
And then people started bustling around – a clear sign that the carriage carrying the late Prime Minister David Thompson’s body was nearby.
As if on queue, the skies, having allowed those on hand to bask again in sunshine for more than an hour, opened once more, as if shedding tears for the island’s sixth Prime Minister.
And soon the official service would begin.