Making your luck
In the words of Ernest Hemingway, “You make your own luck”. Last Second Wednesday, Jonathan Murphy, who before January was just our friend and neighbour, talked us through his professional life thus far.
He termed as “luck” meeting his future wife, his Natasha, while filming an advertising campaign in Brazil. But he also recounted the years of hard work, the logistics, complications and frustrations of global travel and the unexpected joy of finding that working with children and animals can actually be quite magical, all led up to that moment.
If his professional success was measured by the way his films left us spellbound and how we finished off the punchlines of supposedly long forgotten adverts, then his personal success is of course the family that they have created together; so to an extent, Hemingway was right.
Natasha Murphy now works alongside her husband as producer, while Jonathan has found his true metier as director. If you saw My One and Only, when it was screened at the Kino, or listened to the subsequent Q&A session, you will know what a powerful team they are.
Our next meeting is February’s second Wednesday, which this year falls on the 14th, Valentine’s day. And what is a traditional Valentine’s gift, flowers; so cue Dr Barry Yates with “Rye Harbour’s Seaside Flowers”.
Anyone who’s ever been to the nature reserve and that means most of you reading this, will know Barry. He came to Rye Harbour 40 years ago and by the time he retired in April of last year, was its manager; another one who made his luck, working as far afield as Shetland, Sutherland and Lancashire, before ending up in Sussex.
During that time he co-authored Seaside Flowers of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, along with SC Morgan, their second collaboration, after the success of The Shingle Shore. Some of the plants that we take for granted on our walks are so rare, that apart from the reserve, they are only found in one or two other places in Britain.
So what better way to spend Valentine’s day, than surrounded with flowers, with your friends and neighbours and with Jane’s fabulous tea. Hop on the bus, head to the New Hall in Winchelsea, doors open from 2pm. It’s a date!
Image Credits: Jonathan Murphy .