There’s an interesting dichotomy to the 2019 Australian summer. On the one hand, it’s been unseasonably, uncomfortably hot. On the other, there’s been a deluge of perfect, sunny weather. It seems strange, this juxtaposition of hot and cold, but it makes for some fabulous beach holidays. One of the hottest Australian holidays is at the end of October and early November. The start of the school holidays in August and early September is also a popular time for Aussies to head for the beach.
But another truly iconic Aussie institution that was only recently celebrated is about to get wet. In fact, it had been raining heavily for weeks, with no end in sight. This week, the first part of the annual monsoon season arrived, bringing with it the chance of flooding and mudslides.
One place you might want to avoid is the Sydney coastline. Last year, extreme summer heat caused a number of deaths and countless injuries. There were even reports of people suffering from heatstroke while out jogging. It’s a serious issue, made worse by the fact that many Sydneysiders don’t seem to know how to swim. The NSW government declared a climate emergency last year; it was the worst on record, and it’s been tough for the city and its residents since.
This year, the Sydney Opera House had the temerity to open its doors for anyone wanting a soak in one of its pools. It’s the first time in its history that the iconic building had opened its doors like this, but it seems like a long time coming. During the height of summer last year, it was closed to the public for several weeks. However, due to ongoing maintenance, parts of the building were still off limits to everyone.
It’s odd, isn’t it? Odd that a city which is often touted as being the most beautiful in the world would need an entire summer to dry out its lungs. Odd that the homesick child inside you gets excited about the prospect of a summer rainstorm. But that’s the thing about Australia: it is perfectly manicured, perfectly groomed, and perfectly ordinary all at the same time. It’s been this way for as long as anyone can remember, and it’ll probably be this way for as long as anyone cares to remember.
It’s one of the few countries in the world where it is acceptable to be perfectly frank and honest. It’s been said that Australia is the last country in the world where you can truly be yourself. This is, in part, because Australians are such proud, independent, and good-humored people. They don’t really need fake friends and fake parties to have fun. They’ll have fun with whoever they’re with, whenever they’re with them. It’s a great quality which, for some reason, endears them to those from overseas.
This quality makes them seem incredibly vulnerable, as anyone can walk up to them and ask them questions about themselves. They’ll happily tell you about themselves, but they won’t pretend to be someone they’re not. One of the things that makes them so special is that they’ll always be themselves, no matter what.
It’s not that they don’t like socializing with others. It’s just that they don’t need to. When school was out during the last school holidays, many Sydneysiders headed to the beach or the park to play cricket or catch up on some much needed relaxing. Others headed to the bush to be alone with nature. It seems like they’ve found their own level, their own place, in the middle of nowhere.
They may not need other people in order to have fun, but that doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy the company of others. Sometimes, they’ll even introduce you to a friend, and they’ll genuinely seem to enjoy your company. Even better, you often end up having fun, even when you don’t feel like you! It’s like a mind sport for them, getting people to have fun while being honest. In a country where being yourself is the best policy, it’s the perfect fit.
Robert Pattinson
The former couple could easily become friends with anyone. It is perhaps this very quality, this very openness that has endeared them to fans worldwide. Most people love the fact that Edward is so honest about his feelings for Bella. Most people love that he is so transparent about his character. No one is fooled, not for a second, into thinking that Edward is some perfect, stoic, heartless aristocrat. He cares, a lot, and he opens up about it. He loves Bella, he loves being with her, and he lets her know it every single day through little gestures and kind, honest words.
Most people also love that he seems to have found the perfect balance, the perfect blend, between being a devoted husband and a doting father. He is a hands-on father and a loving husband, and it shows. He regularly spends time with his children, traveling to Italy to see them and spending Christmas with them every year. He’s probably the most hands-on father-to-be you’ll ever meet. He is so involved with his child’s growth and development, and it really shows.
It’s not just that he’s a hands-on parent. It’s that he seems to genuinely enjoy being a parent. This might seem like an odd thing to say when you’re talking about someone who’s been married for so long, but it’s true: he seems to genuinely enjoy being a husband. When you’re used to seeing him in movies, where he usually plays some tortured soul or brooding, dark magician, it is somewhat refreshing to see him as one of the hands-on parents, the hands-on father.
And what of Bella? She is, for the most part, a very private person. She doesn’t do interviews, and she rarely gives any kind of public statement. The few times she has spoken about her relationship with Edward, she has only stated that they are a couple, that they love each other, and that they are committed to being a good, committed couple for the rest of their lives. Even the most ardent fans might be surprised to learn that Bella doesn’t always talk about her feelings. But that’s because she doesn’t have to. She KNOWS her feelings. Edward sees it, he feels it, and he communicates it to her every day, in the most subtle ways. If she feels like something, she’ll usually say it. And he’ll usually say it first.
Songs About Love
There is a beautiful irony to this whole situation. One of the most iconic couples in Hollywood history have just produced one of the most iconic songs about love. The irony is that, while they’ve talked about their feelings for each other for years, they’ve never actually discussed the topic directly. Never, until now. It’s been more than 70 years since Don’t Drink Alcohol was released, more than 50 since they first met, and yet here they are, discussing love and commitment for the first time ever, all because of the song.
On one level, it’s strange that it took an entire song for them to discuss what can easily become a 15-minute conversation. On another level, it’s not. They’ve been waiting decades to have a normal, adult conversation about what they’ve felt for each other all along.
But that’s what makes it so perfect. They’ve been denied this conversation for so long, denied the chance to express their love and feelings for each other. And now that they can finally say it, the song allows them to do it without fear of judgment or stigma. It allows them to have a conversation about an experience that affects millions of people every day. It’s a chance to have an honest, open discussion about an experience that many people go through, which too few have the courage to talk about.
It’s one of the few songs which actually strikes close to home, something in the way which seems to define their relationship. While they’ve sung about love and committed their love to each other for years, there is something about the song, the way it is worded and the way it is performed, which makes it seem like this time is different. It feels like they’re addressing something more than themselves, something more universal, something bigger than just themselves and their personal feelings.