About

Hi, I’m Robert Birming. I live in Stockholm, Sweden, work as a home inspector, and have been blogging since the early 2000s.

This is my little corner for everyday stories: places I visit, people I meet, and moments that make me pause and reflect. Most posts are short, and I publish a few times a week. If that sounds like your kind of thing, follow along to get new stories as they’re published.

When the words won’t come, I tinker instead. Themes, plugins, little tools for fellow bloggers. Most of it ends up on my projects page.

Got a question, a story to share, or just want to say hi? I’d love to hear from you. You’re also welcome to leave a note in the guestbook.

Some of the lovely messages I receive end up among the kind words.

Thank you, all of you. ♥️

A bit about me

I grew up in Åkersberga, a small town about 30 km (19 miles) outside Stockholm. These days I live in Östermalm, often described as one of Sweden’s most exclusive districts. My life is far from fancy, though. I rent a 25 m² (270 ft²) apartment and probably earn less than the guy who cleans our stairwell (awesome dude, by the way). And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I trained as a bricklayer and spent about ten years in construction. After that came a colorful mix: drummer, web entrepreneur, digital marketer, and janitor. Here’s me behind the drums, if you’re curious.

Now I’m a home inspector, or a house detective, as I like to call myself. I visit people in their homes every day, helping them guard against water damage, fire, and burglary. I love it. I get to explore new places and meet folks I’d never have crossed paths with otherwise, and many of those encounters end up here.

How the blogging started

I discovered the web in the 90s during a short computer course. Most of it was basic stuff, like writing documents, sending emails, and searching the internet. Then, on the last day, the teacher said:

"Today I’m going to let you create a web page."

We typed a few HTML tags into a text file and opened it in a browser. Suddenly, plain text had become a living web page. I was blown away. It felt like magic, and honestly, it still does.

That spark got me blogging around 2002, and I’ve kept at it on and off ever since, across a handful of blogs in both Swedish and English. This one launched on 16 Feb 2023.

For me, blogging is still about the joy of sharing little discoveries, collecting everyday stories, and occasionally finding something wonderful in the most ordinary moments.

Thanks for stopping by! 🙌

P.S. If you still haven't had enough of me, there's my interview on People & Blogs and my Over/Under with Lazy Bear waiting for you.

Tiny pixel bear by Sylvia