A BREAK FROM WRITING

I always carry a note-book to catch any thoughts that might decide to visit, usually at the unlikeliest of moments and places, as yesterday proved, whilst on a bus.  The bus was full, so I sat on the back seats, the ones that face in the opposite direction from the one the bus is travelling.  I started to think how strange it is to see where we have been rather than where we are going, so out came the book to jot down some thoughts and impressions. 

Of course many of the people sat on the rear seats facing me thought it strange, especially as I was writing into a book rather than reading one, and more strange that I was not playing with my mobile, or listening to music, or both.  Another issue is of course, that people think you may be writing down your impressions of them, a justifiable suspicion, as I generally am.  A degree of tact and discretion is therefore called upon, with one hand discreetly placed above the pages, in order to deflect prying eyes.  Coffee shops are also good places to think and to people watch, jotting down mannerisms and verbal ticks. I find a short or a long walk is also really good to get the ideas flowing,  

The picture below was taken outside a coffee shop, the note-book within reach but out of sight.

Do you have any strategies that you find help you clear the mind or cultivate thoughts?  I would welcome your own insights into your own creative processes.