Typecast

Photo by Tomas Yates on Unsplash Trying to figure out what the ‘best’ video format is for a device or platform can be difficult. The fact that they are so many formats and different devices and platforms support different formats will certainly complicate things. Essentially the ‘best’ video format for a specific device or platform is a format that needs to fulfill several criteria: It should be compatible with the device or platform (i.e. have hardware support). It should compress the video file size efficiently while maintaining its quality. It should support features that are in the video (i.e. chapters, subtitles, menus, etc.). If you want you could go over a list of formats (both containers and codecs) to find a pairing that meets those criteria for the device or platform that you want the video to be played on. However, an easier method is to work backwards: To upload the video to an online platform you should select the format that is recommended by th...

I was having a discussion with a friend this week about my first Saturday job in our local village greengrocers and florist (small family business). In any given week could be lugging sacks of potatoes about, bagging up carrots, serving customers on the till but my most favourite part was working in the florists section making up bouquets for passing customers. I became pretty adept at throwing a few flowers, a bit of foliage and some gypsophela together into a presentable arrangement, wrapping it in plastic and adding some trimmings. I had no idea which flowers were which but had a good eye for colour. I was also fascinated the first time I saw ribbon scored with the edge of the scissors to create the decorative curls! One of the best parts of working in the florists though was putting together a gorgeous arrangement for a special birthday gift or watching the men (it was always the men... *sigh*) run in either very, very early or very, very late to pick up a for...

With the Queen having an extremely busy schedule, it really is astonishing how she manages to look flawless at every occasion, whether it was during her sapphire jubilee celebrations or giving her annual Christmas day speech; her impeccable fashion constantly grabs the attention of everyone in the room. Photo by Lea Fabienne on Unsplash So, just how does The Queen continue to look elegant at every royal engagement she attends? Join us as we explore some of the style secrets that help to keep Her Majesty looking so effortlessly sophisticated… Facing the British Weather We all know how the British weather can be. What starts as a bright day can easily end in downpour. During her many royal appointments, which often take place outside, it’s important that the Queen’s wardrobe is up to the job. Before she wears any dress or coat, her team tests their fabric using electrical fans. Helping to establish how the material would move in a breeze, small curtain weights are the...

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash   Do you remember when you started your period? Of course you do! It can be a very confusing yet anxious time for many. Luckily, Lil-Lets have a variety of products available that will help your daughter as she begins the changes to develop into adult life. Alongside Lil-Lets, we’ve came up with a few steps of how you can tackle the challenging experience of having ‘the talk’ with your daughter. Make sure your daughter is prepared in advance More often than not, your daughters biggest worry is probably starting her period when she’s away from home or in school. To help prevent this fear, it’s a good idea to give her some pads to keep in her school bag just in case. Teen ranges specifically for this moment are sold in a variety of cosmetic stores across the UK – containing a variety of all products so that your daughter can try each and every one of them out to see which works better for her. These packages also come in a discreet cos...

It's been just over a year since I joined Blackburn Road Runners . It's a decision that took me a long time to make but during the past twelve months I've come to realise that there's a time and a place for everything.  After my first race wearing a BRR vest (the Windmill 10k in Lytham) I decided to take a year for myself, attempt some challenges, say "YES" more than saying "no" and see if I could push myself beyond what I thought were my boundaries. Challenge 1 : Lose weight Challenge 2 : Run 1000 km in a year Challenge 3 : Run a long distance race Challenge 4 : Break 1h 10m in a 10k race Photo Credit : Gemma McAuley Photography Losing Weight The losing weight bit was separate to the running but was always going to compliment it.  I joined Slimming World and have lost almost 2.5 stone over the course of the year.  It's not as much as I hoped but its been steady progress. I could have stayed right on plan and possibly lost ...

It's round about now that I start wading through the bajillion choices that I have available for next year's diary.   Last year I was all over the leather diary from Hope House Press and this year I was about to update my Filofax/Bullet Journal set up but then I received an email from Jofelo asking me if I wanted to have a look at some of their leather journals. Leather journals can always seem like an expensive option when choosing a diary but you are paying for quality and for the leather to patina and become even more unique with use.  It's one of the reasons that I love my Malden Filofax and my Fossil Sydney Satchel handbag - they are both getting better with age. Also, journals are to be used for creativity and to hold your thoughts, plans and dreams. You want to own something that's going to 'grow' with you. I've decided that the Jofelo journal that I'm going to use as my diary for next year is the " Trekker ". It...

For new(er) readers, or those not in the know, Soundtrack To My Life is an irregular music series that appears on my blog from time to time.  Over the years, I've had guest posts from people who documented songs that transport them back to a specific moment in their life and I've generated playlists for a variety of reasons ( click here to scroll through the 100+ entries).  So, moving on from an entry earlier this year of Songs You Should Never Play On Hospital Radio , there was only one way to go... Songs You Should Never Play At A Funeral.  I've collated a few here but please feel free to hit me up on any of my social media channels and suggest your own. TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM ¨¨°º©©º°¨¨ Your loved one has just passed away and the family are gathered around paying their last respects.  The last song you want to hear is Another One Bites The Dust softly playing in the background on the kitchen radio. It's now time t...

I'm not a great photographer.  Most of my images are taken on whatever mobile phone I have at the time and I've recently bought a Nikon D3300 camera, on which I am (unsuccessfully) attempting to move from auto to manual. But I've notice a pattern in my holiday snaps over the years.  Yes, there's the usual scenery shots that mean nothing to anyone else (or have been seen a hundred times before in other people's holiday photos) and then there's the pictures of your fellow holidaymakers, all smiling away at the camera whilst squinting into the sun.  But my preferred shot is either the sunset or the planescape. Here's a few favourites I've taken from over the years...  This sunset shot was taken from a hotel balcony in Albuferia, Portugal and it now hangs on my landing at home on canvas.  Coincidentally, we are going back to the same hotel at Christmas this year and I'm looking forward to seeing what winter sunsets are like!  Albufer...

One of my favourite photos of me - credit : Gemma McAuley Why do I always feel a bit lost when I need to write something about myself? I started writing a list of "I am..." type lines but it was veering into Steve Miller Band, The Joker territory and I'm definitely no 'gangster of love'!! So what I usually do is to direct people to one of my two mini biographies that I tout about on social media because they are short and snappy and, hopefully, a little bit witty.  Plus they can be conversation starters... This is my Twitter bio which stems from a lifetime of living with a car trader! 1972 model, good condition (large scratch on bodywork), one careful owner since 1990. Genuine mileage. Full history available. And this is my blog bio which gives you an overview of who I am, what I write about and some of my hobbies! Teenage mum | "granny at 36" | social media addict | stationery lover | blogger | podcaster | slow runner Anyway, t...

I'm a huge fan of Hotter Shoes , especially their winter boots collections.  Each year I head over to their knee high selection but this year I fancied a change so I picked a couple of styles and colours and handed the decision over to my Instagram followers to decide for me in the form of a poll.  The final result narrowed it down to the Whisper ankle boots in dark tan .  I cover many miles when walking the dog and in the Autumn and Winter I want my feet to be toasty and comfy and the Whisper boot doesn't let me down. The upper and the inner 'sock' is made from leather whilst the sole is polyurethane which prevents slipping. The zips on both the sizes of the boot open which makes it easy for anyone to pull on quickly.  What I was really interested in, though, was the construction of the boot itself. Hotter are well known for their comfort and this breakdown of the Whisper boot is fascinating.  A total of 32 separate components are used to create the...

At the beginning of this year I set myself a goal to run 1000km by the 31st of December.  I had just joined Blackburn Road Runners and was wanting to get some serious training done to tackle my 10k personal best time.  Little did I know that I would end up training for a 10 mile race by the end of the month and then training for, and completing, two half marathons ( Darwen and Southport ).  Because of the way races and club runs are structured, I changed my Garmin into miles and promptly forgot about my challenge. Read more about my Ibiza run  on Instagram That was until I went for a quick run in Ibiza , refreshed my Strava profile  and I noticed that I was within touching distance of 500 miles for the year.  I smashed through the 500 mile mark on a club run last week  then I did a couple of calculations, realising that I was nearer to that 1000km goal that I thought I could be. Read more about the run when I broke through 500...

I don't own a lot of jewellery, but what I do wear are pieces that are fairly timeless and a bit unusual. I also have a couple of heirlooms that are safely stashed away (for what or when, I don't know but it's comforting to know that they are there). I've recently started to layer my jewellery and to try and get the most out of it by wearing it more, rather than saving it for a special occasion.  My current favourite collection of wrist wear is my  Choose Life, Choose Love  leather wrist wrap from  Hope House Press  teamed with my two  Pandora   bracelets and my new  Thomas Sabo  bracelet that has a uniquely engraved charm. The Thomas Sabo bracelet is the latest addition to my wrist and it's from  Peter Jackson the Jeweller . I was recently invited to an exclusive evening in their Preston store to learn about diamonds. I took my daughter, Rachel, with me so we could both have a 'grown up' night off. To me, Peter Jackson the J...

Ever since I was a panellist on Sally Naden's daytime chat show on BBC Radio Lancashire, and then took part in a blogger take-over on radio stations around the UK talking about healthy breakfasts , I fell in LOVE with notion of presenting my own radio show at some point in my life. Fast foward a couple of years and I found myself promoting an adult learners course on a local community radio station (Preston FM - sadly no longer in existence) and was encouraged by one of the presenters to join the next training course to become a presenter .  I wrote a two hour show that was based around the spoken word (poems, short plays, monologues) and then ended up hosting my own quiz show on Preston FM - The Big Cheese - which ran for six episodes and a couple of one-off specials.  I also had the opportunity to be part of an actual radio play - Welcome To Our Village, Please Invade Carefully - which is very funny, you should have a listen! But volunteering takes up valuable time a...