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...thi course is set tae hope...

Here ah sit, masell alane, washed up an failin wi fadit memories ae a life thit his bin full ae hope.

 "If we dinna live in hope wull dee in despair".

 Its warm oot though.  The air is fullae blossom and scents ae thi flooers i the gairdens.  Thi first time ah passed by this foontain years ago ah met a refugee fella wha wis livin rough here in the Larribal Gairdins.   He was haein a morning wash.

 Wi passed the time ae day in a sortae English, sortae French sortae Catalan wye is thi nearest spik wi hid thi githir.  Ah gied im a couplae Euros.  He looked like he cid yais thim.

 Back up thi hull ahint is is the Miro Foundation.  It still his Alexander Calder's Mercury Fountain.  A wee bit ae Scottish art in this finest ae cities. Ah widna tak a wash in it though..

 The toon itsell lies alow mi. Ahm nae quite king ae aw I survey.  Truly ah dinna own a handful ae this hale earth.

 Its stull thi foreneen. Ah cin see Tibidabo awa ower on thi far aff horizon. Ma shitey lungs will tak mi doon thi hull later on.

 Ma future's ahent mi noo. A bittie lik thi planet.

 Ahm a man ae thi twintieth cintury an mi time is bye.  Well nearly ower.  That maist bliddy ae cinturies spawned mi. Ah wis nearly forty fan it turned thi millenium.

 Ah hocher an sum phlegm comes up. Ah spit it oot on thi pavin stanes ae thi pathie ahm sittin aside. It's yalla an thirs a bricht speck ae bleed easy ti bi seen.

 Ah smell the flooer smell aa aroond mi.  Ah think ae hame.  Its a lang wye awa, it disnae sit in yir neb lik is.

 Ah owe this city a debt.  Wi aa div. Thon's fit ah bilieve.  This braw city ae workers an socialists an anarchists an republicans.  A city an its fowk thit enchantit me an Victor Serge baith.

 Ah rose early this mornin.  Ah walked doon thi quate streets thit wir bein washed doon amin scrubbin soonds fae thi machines. A coffee an a croissant for mi piece.

 "Bon dia" ah say ti thi wifie ahent thi coonter, then sit ootside in thi cool ae thi mornin licht.  Shi brings mi coffee ootside tae is.  Ah cin see shi kens ahm a furriner. 

 Is ah sit sippin mi coffee a puckle quines ging bye spikkin american english.  Its ower early fir young fowk. Ah fin masell hopin thiv bin up aa nicht. Its ower early fir auld dadders anaw though.

 Ah feenish ma coffee and stroll, cis ah dinna stride these days, stroll tae Liceu Metro tae thi barrier this spits mi ticket throw. Ah laive thi licht ahent.  Thi air is mair solid, mair dinse. 

 Its twa stops tae Parallel station. It taks mi a whilie tae mak thi inside walk tae thi funicular.

 Thi licht comes back on the wye up though. Across thi road fae thi funicular thirs a stane bench aside plane trees.  Ah sit in thi sun an get mi braith back.   Seen ahll wander alang tae thi sculpture gairden aside the Miro.  Ahll bask a wee bittie mair in thi sun like thi wee lizards yi see there jooking oot ae thi steens.

 Thi bairns fae thi skaill ower thi fince are injoyin thir play time.  Ah dover a wee bittie in thi sun.  Its braw.

 Ah gan intae thi Miro. Time fir anithir coffee.  Thi first beer ae thi day cin wait tull later. Ma fellow patrons in thi Miro cafe ir a mixed bunch. Weel dresst in nae.  Ah look throw thi shop fir suhinng tae tak hame fir hirsell.  Ah buy a Miro scarf.  A group ae bairns on a trip is affa weel behaved.

 Afore ah go ah look throw thi gless an cin see the Mercury Fountain.  Thi metalwork bobs an jooks under thi wecht ae thi flowin metal.  Ootae thi Miro an turn richt fir thi entrance tae the Larribal Gairdens.

 So here ah am. Sittin smellin thi flooers.  Coughin up phlegm. Thinkin aboot this city an masell an whit brocht mi here sae mony times an aabdy an athing thits dear ti mi.

 Ah ken lik iviry time afore.

 Thi course is set tae hope.


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