Welcome to Our Spectrum Adventures
Our little corner of of the internet
"Hi... I'm Ian, this is Sarah and our daughter Eve.
The best way I can think off to explain what we are all about is to show you, advising you to have a look around the website. But... I also know that doesn't answer the question I'm asking myself, so, here it goes!
What is Our Spectrum Adventures about?
Our Spectrum Adventures is a journal about our (not-so-normal) lives for you to participate in, and hopefully smile at! I talk (and answer your questions) about what we do, how we do it and why we do it, reflecting on what works and what doesn't. I try to write in an honest, unfiltered and optimistic way that I hope you can relate to!
I am also dyslexic so writing doesn't come easy. It can however create some accidentally comical writing, such as when I wrote at length about
"big hairy balls!" instead of 'bulls!'
We write about our lifestyle, adventures, the outdoors and home education. Eve and I are both autistic, so we write about that too. Notes are our version of social media, short, simple posts about everything and anything! I love writing letters (think before the internet and phones) so with Chats we can talk together in a way that is informal and personal about everything and anything including what motivates us to do what we do!
About Us
We live in Scotland and love nothing more than being outdoors, having an adventure and living the best life we can.
Read moreCharity
Charity is an essential and fundamental part of our lifestyle. We do a lot of fundraising and help support other charities through work and pledges, as well as run our own 'mini-events' and a few other good deeds along the way. We are all very proud of this part of our lives and one we have no intention of stopping.
Charity Adventure 2023
We are currently hiking 1952 miles along all 29 of Scotland's Great Trails to raise £10,000 for Scottish Autism
Charity Adventure 2023Getting the most from the website.
To help you get the most out of this website, I thought it would be good to tell you how this site works as it's different to most other websites you might have visited!
Our Spectrum Adventures website is a newsletter site. What this means is that every single post that we publish can be delivered to your email inbox for free. We offer this for several reasons, as listed below (the last being the most important to us);
- You don't miss anything and are always up-to-date.
- You don't have to (unless you want to) keep returning to the website to check for new posts.
- It helps us to build a relationship with you, as we can talk directly to you, as an individual and not just read a generic post on a website!
Tags
SubscribeHow to navigate the website
Our Spectrum Adventures website is based on the structure of a book or more specifically a journal.
Having the site as a journal was always my plan, because I think it reflects our style of writing in the best way and to differenciate ourselves from others. However the main reason is to be relatable, honest and to write from our hearts based on our own personal insights and experiences.
The quickest and simplest way to find something is to use the 'search' function located on the left of the header by clicking on the magnifying glass icon.
Primary tags: Every post is assigned one primary tag, that works the same as the contents of a book. These can always be found in the main menu at the top of the website along with a few other important links.
Secondary tags: We have a large and expanding list of secondary tags ranging from Recipes to The West Highland Way. Secondary tags work the same as the index of a book with posts added to several secondary tags when they share relevant content.
Newsletters
SubscribeWebsite sections (post types)
The website is divided into three distinct and unique sections, based on content and writing style. You can subscribe to these three different sections separately when subscribing or within your account settings.
- Notes: Notes are our version of social media, only better. Short and simple posts on just about anything similar to Facebook, Instagram and YouTube combined.
- Chats: Chats are intimate, informative and personal. They are very different to the normal style of post you might be used to. Think of chats as being like penpals but a whole lot more.
- Articles & Journals: Articles & journals contain all of our Adventures, Outdoors, Lifestyle, Autism and Education posts.
Subscribing
Subscribing (becoming a member) gives you access to everything from discussions to member-only posts, and free delivery of everything we publish!
SubscribeMemberships
Becoming a member by subscribing is the best way to stay in contact and come with us on our adventures. On top of that, it's free, easy and convenient!
- Everything we publish can be delivered to your inbox as a newsletter
- Join the discussion & comment on everything we publish
- Immediate access to member-only posts
Paid memberships
There is an option to subscribe to one of three paid member tiers starting at £50 a year. You can choose a paid membership when subscribing, and you can upgrade and cancel your membership at any time in your account. Some of the extras we offer on our paid tiers are;
- Member-only letters
- Restricted access posts (due to sensitive or personal subjects)
- Additional posts & newsletters
- Question & Answers to give you the information you want to know
- Subject requests for topics of your choice
- Behind the scenes; discussing decision-making, ideas, inspiration and plans
- Support us with an occasional coffee or hot chocolate & our ever-lasting thanks!
- Maybe even a free gift from us!!!
If you can't afford a paid membership (or simply don't want to) that is absolutely fine & I genuinely understand. Please don't let it put you off subscribing for FREE. You will always be welcome here, I promise! Ian
Something to get started with...
Frequently Asked Questions
Some commonly asked questions and a few we have added!
Why did you start a website?
I love the power of the written word. It can have more impact than any other form of communication, letting you construct the image through the prism of your own life experiences and knowledge making what we write, more relatable and relevant to you and your life experiences.
How do I create my Avatar with Gravatar?
Your Avatar is the small circle next to your name when you join a discussion. By default, it will display a colour and your initials, but you can set it to display a photograph or anything else you want.
- Go to the Gravatar website.
- Click on the big blue “Create Your Own Gravatar” button.
- Either create a new WordPress.com account or sign in with the one you have already set up.
- Add an email address and then upload the photo of your choice.
- That’s it! Now, when you comment on blog posts you’ll see the photo.
Why are some posts only for paid members?
Our premium posts can contain some very personal content that we don't want to be published for everybody to see and read. We also talk about our plans, ideas, and inspiration, giving you behind-the-scenes access to our thoughts and feelings. We also run things like Q&A sessions as well as other random stuff. We are always enthusiastic to hear what you would like us to offer and talk more about.
How often do you publish articles, letters and notes?
It's hard to give a definite answer. It can depend on what we are doing at the time and how busy we are. I do think we need to publish shorter and easily digested stuff which is why we have introduced Notes.
What do all the words mean? (A glossary of terms
- Tags are our way of indexing posts by putting them in tag groups
- Primary Tags is a collection of secondary tags (contents of a book)
- Secondary Tags are a collection of posts (index of a book)
- Posts are everything that we publish on the website
- Newsletters are posts that are delivered to your inbox
- Articles are a collection of tags and posts written in a blog style
- Journals are a collection of tags and posts written in the form of a diary or journal
- Chats are a collection of tags and posts written in the style of a letter
- Notes are a collection of tags and posts written in the style of a social media update
- Subscribe is what you do to become a member
- Member is a subscriber who has subscribed
- Portal is where you subscribe and your account is located
Contact Us
I always appreciate people taking the time to contact us. If you do not understand anything, want to ask a question or simply get in touch, please don't hesitate to drop me an email on our contact page.
Contact Page