Xiv

Although the fork entered society on the tables of rich people, many members of royalty, such as Elizabeth I of England and Louis XIV of France, ate with their fingers.

The reign of Louis XIV lasted seventy-two years.

Louis XIV had gum disease, rotten teeth and very bad breath. Oh, when I think about those poor mistresses!

Louis XIV loved orange trees.

Louis XIV built an Orangerie at the Palace of Versailles.

Louis XIV of France is said to have taken only two baths in his adult lifetime.

Louis XIV of France is said to have taken only two baths in his adult lifetime—both times recommended by his doctors.

Tom thinks he's Louis XIV.

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, of American and Peruvian nationality, has just been elected Pope and will adopt the name Leo XIV (08.05.2025).

Today's a cloudy, yet sunny day, the 13th of May of 2025. Yesterday and today, I went to the garden neighbourhood at St. Albans Road to enjoy the scenery and the big Roman Catholic church there, which I have visited maybe the 11th time this spring. The big admirable purple-bloom tree nearby is probably not a Jacaranda, but maybe a Paulownia, an Empress Tree. Nevertheless, it's like saudade for me about South America. I often visit the major worship hall and the smaller Adoration Chapel, where I noticed that at the right front the statue of the Virgin Mary is holding the Child at her arms, and they are not standing side by side, as I imagined from memory. At the big worship hall, there are two crucifixes, one at the front centre and one at the front right, both draped in white cloth. There are Filipinos in the parish. By the way, it's now Pope Leo XIV. I'm really tending to Animism-Buddhism in my Syncretism. I visited Tim Hortons café here on Lulu Island several times during the day to enjoy an Earl Grey Tea with oat milk, an Iced Classic Lemonade, Scrambled Eggs with Sausage and Potatoes, an Iced Coffee with oat milk, and a Wild Blueberry Muffin. Today, at home, I'm reading bits from Spanish speculative fiction, El eterno regreso a casa, by Ursula K. Le Guin. I read aloud for oral practice. I'm also looking at an online Esperanto dictionary to ameliorate my green vocabulary.