Sunday 23 January 2011

Hello...and welcome...

I have started this blog toward the end of May 2010.

It is a 'work in progress', as I sort out my boxes of beermats, slowly snapping them, & adding in small batches. I've slowed down recently, but have been adding some more over the last few days, but there are plenty more to go! And, of course a couple of dozen recent new ones to add! I'm also off to the Czech Republic & the end of October for a few days, & another small break in the Hamburg area of Germany the following month after that; so expect some more 'beer mat scavenging' from me then!

I have decided to 'backdate' everything, so that each 'set' has a different date.
The reason I do this is to make it easier to locate subjects I have already published, when looking through my post archives to add more.

This will continue, adding 'rolling dates' one by one until my whole collection is archived here. It is still very much a 'work in progress' & with the benefit of hindsight,not something I can put a 'final finish' date on, but, hopefully sometime in 2011!

I am still slowly adding to this blog, albeit not too regularly. It is more time consuming than I expected, but I will get there...

After that is all done then I will list the number of 'doubles' & will eventually list them for anyone who needs them, but that will be a good while away yet, as that is my 'last priority task' for this site.

In the meantime please enjoy, and feel free to delve into the ever expanding archive of my beermats, listed down on the right hand side.

I'm now about halfway through my collection, so there are still plenty more to be added.

If you notice any mistakes then please don't hesitate to let me know.

Thank you to two very good Belgian friends of mine, Nicolas Lucas & Danuta Wimart, who have supplied with quite a few mats from their country, & some they pick up on holiday.

I'd like to thank three more friends of mine, all real ale fans.

Two are good mates from football, Richard Watts, who has supplied several beer mats for me that he picks up on his travels up & down the country at various boozers he visits, while watching football, cricket & rugby league. It wasn't until I started going through my collection that I realised just how many. I'd say at least a hundred different ones have been supplied by him.

Also Mark Hutton. He has picked a few up on his little trips abroad, plus some at home.

The last is a colleague from work, Russell Meredith. I recently mentioned this blog to him, & he brought me over fifty old beermats from the recent Ealing Beer Festival, which he actually bought for me!

Wonderful gestures from all of them, & much appreciated!


Many thanks, to anyone who discovers this blog, & enjoys looking through my collection.

As Russell described this blog: "Beer drinker's porn!"

Cheers!

Mishi