From Brisbane to Birmingham

The 22nd Commonwealth Games, being held in Birmingham, England, commences early Friday morning for us viewers in Straya. Thanks largely to the inclusion of a women's T20 cricket tournament, I'm very much looking forward to it. I also like that Duran Duran are headlining the opening ceremony, and I dig the colourful bull mascot, Perry. Hey, we all have our reasons for liking stuff :-)

The first C/G I truly cared about was Brisbane in 1982. At the time, I was a budding philatelist. But what I grew to love even more than stamps were first-day covers. (I still have a box of the things, along with stamp packs, pre-stamped envelopes, aerogrammes and stamp booklets.) The Brissie Commonwealth Games releases in the following pic were among the first Mum and Dad bought me.

Flipping through my collection of first-day covers and such in 2022, I feel only a vague connection. It's like I inherited it from someone else. Where once there was adoration, now there is mild curiousity and amusement at the obscurity of certain "special" events commemorated (Completion Of The Victorian Arts Centre?). The Southern Stars' opener is against the always dangerous India. Let's go, ladies!