Exam Question: Calculate Easter

Perhaps Spring is early this year because Easter is early - on March 27th in just over a week.  The garden centres in Niagara sell a lot of potted flowers for Easter.  Sunshine Nurseries on Carlton Street on the NOTL side of the canal is full of blooms.  Pot plants, perennials, and annuals are on show.  You see the 'sea' of flowers in the top picture and an interpretation of the pretty flower Ranunculus in the bottom picture. There was a question the other day on how do we calculate Easter.  I gather from a search that there are dozens of ways of calculating Easter. This link to  the U.K. Independent Newspaper article describes the Easter calculation.  Here are two of the key calculations. "For most of its history Christians have calculated Easter independently of the Jewish calendar. In principle, Easter falls on the Sunday following the full moon that follows the northern spring equinox (the paschal full moon). However, the vernal equinox and the full moon are not determined by astronomical observation." "In 325CE the Council of Nicaea established that Easter would be held on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox. From that point forward, the Easter date depended on the ecclesiastical approximation of March 21 for the vernal equinox."

What is in a Boat's Name?

It is always a great trip to Niagara Falls to see the Showcase Greenhouse Christmas display.  The drive back along the Lakeshore means one can stop at Sunshine Express to see their grand display and then cross the canal at Carlton Street.  But we didn't immediately cross the canal - we watched a boat come through into the lock. Isn't this quite the sign on the boat?  Look over there - it is NO SMOKING making its way through the Welland Canal at Lock 2.  I wondered what the name of the ship is. I  went looking for the schedule - but didn't find an online schedule.  I remember there was a posted schedule at the Visitor Centre last summer, so one could time one's visits for the ships coming through.  Having lived next to the Welland Canal near the Lock 2 bridge on Carlton as a child, one could look down Scott Street and pretty well spot a boat any time.  It was constant, and the bridges when up and down all the time. Of course, there's less traffic now as we're at the end of the season.  The canal is open late due to the good weather.  When the weather gets cold, the locks will be emptied, and one will be able to see how deep they are.  I'll take some photos so you can really see the engineering feat that was accomplished in the 1930's. And then back to the Niagara Falls Showcase Greenhouses, there were some lovely mourning doves  flitting about and cooing.  There was even a small group of sparrows in the tropical house.

Sunshine Gardens and the Chrysanthemums

Hi everyone,
It's the time of year when the Chrysanthemums have been set out at Sunshine Nurseries.  They are located on Carlton Street just over the canal on the Niagara-on-the-Lake side.  We usually are looking for our particular colour or something that appeals to us.

If one looks up and around, though, there is a sea of green - and the panorama below shows part of it.  You won't see them all in bloom like tulips in Holland.  They get sold before there's too much colour showing.  Each pot has a drip hose to ensure perfect amounts of water and fertilizer.  The trimming and pruning follow the traditional sphere shape so when they are blooming there's a solid mass of colour.