Here be Dragons

Told you here be dragons.

There’s an apocryphal tale about a comedian who was asked:
‘Where do your ideas come from?’
He answered:
‘From my head.’

The reason that came out of my head is down to visiting Nottingham University’s Chinese New Year celebrations at the weekend to celebrate the year of the rabbit.  It’s always good to get out and see new things, and it’s filled with music, dance and imagery you don’t usually get to see every day, so it was good to take the opportunity when it came- especially when I saw the exhibition of chinese calligraphy on fans and banners – one of them featured a poem by He Zhizang:

I left home young and returned old,
accent unchanged, but my hair now thin and gray.
Little kids do not know me at all —
with a big smile they ask,“Where are you from, stranger?,”

It’s beautifully poignant, and out of the blue reminded me of the tiniest idea I’d had for a story – so very small, I’d practically fogotten it – now it’s back, front and centre, and the notion that I can draw on the experiences of someone who wrote 1600 years ago is really exciting.  All that from getting out of the house on a blustery Sunday night.

The comedian is right - ideas do come from your head, but only if you put stuff in there to begin with. 
Time for me to go find some more stuff – how about you?