Temporal Island

Along with Michael Franti and Spearhead on ... the Fat, I caught The Blind Boys of Alabama singing 'Amazing Grace' to the music of The Animals' 'House of the Rising Sun.' The Blind Boys are gospel musicians and the band formed in 1939 at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind. They play at the Prince of Wales in St Kilda tomorrow/tonight and at the East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival in Byron Bay on Sunday. Wouldn't mind being in either St Kilda or Byron Bay this weekend... but here is just fine.

Wondering who this St Kilda was... I knew the place wasn't named for a saint but couldn't remember the story. St Kilda, Victoria (part of the Australian Places project - most of the Australian places appear to be in Victoria!) gives the background on the naming of the Melbourne suburb. The place was named after a yacht called the Lady of St Kilda which was named after the islands of St Kilda in the Outer Hebrides. There isn't a saint called Kilda - the island's name is most likely a corruption of an Old Norse word 'skildir' meaning 'shield'.

Somehow we found ourselves in chat on Holy Thursday discussing whether or not one of Jesus disciples cut off a man's ear, which Jesus then healed. I remembered the story from school but when challenged I couldn't be certain I'd remembered correctly... could I have imagined Jesus sticking someone's ear back on? Mostly what we couldn't believe was how the conversation had veered and that we now wanted to know the full story. For future reference, Luke 22

50 And one of them struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear.
51 But Jesus said in reply, "Stop, no more of this!" Then he touched the servant's ear and healed him

I think I might have been tempted to fight them off (or run away). Power to the peaceful...

Maybe tomorrow I'll see if what I remember of the Pagan origins of Easter isn't too off kilter. Not that European seasonal celebrations are all that relevant to those of us in the Southern hemisphere. More relevant to people living in the south west of WA might be the corroboree to be held Saturday and Sunday nights at the Wardan Aboriginal Cultural Centre in Yallingup this weekend.