"The 12 Days of Christmas" using Photos and Making a Video

Here's part 2 of making a fun presentation which I created from my photos used in my own products.

First, I made a PowerPoint presentation, as detailed in the previous post.

Next, I clicked on the slide sorter icon towards the bottom right of the page.

I then clicked on Slide 1, held down the Shift Key and clicked on Slide 14 so that all the slides were highlighted.

Then it was click on File and Save As.

In the Save As box I kept the same File Name and file location in My Documents but instead of the Save as Type: PowerPoint Presentation, I clicked on the arrow and scrolled down till I found JPEG File Interchange Format and clicked the Save button.

A new box appeared on the screen and I clicked on the Every Slide button.

After that I clicked on the OK button so that each of the JPEGs could be saved in a separate folder.

I closed the PowerPoint file, went to My Documents and found the folder (not the PPt file) for "The 12 Days of Christmas" and opened it. There were all the slides from the presentation as JPEGs.

After that, I opened up my movie making program (you should have a free Windows Movie Maker program on your PC if you don't have access to a purchased program).

I inserted all the JPEGs, added the timings and did the basic fade in and fade out transition.

After that, I saved it as a Windows Media Audio/Video file (WMAV file) in the smaller format to be posted on the internet.

I uploaded to YouTube and was able to select a free soundtrack which approximately matched the length of the movie.

From below the uploaded file I clicked on Share, then on Embed and copied the Embed Code and inserted that in this blog post for you to enjoy. (You can also select the size of the video to suit the width of the blog post)

So now you can go off and use your photos to produce your very own Christmas spectacular!

You can check out my full length videos by clicking on the links to the left of this post (Alzheimer's Products and Digital's Great!).

If you found this post entertaining and/or educational please feel free to share it with others.

Trains Are Terrific Especially As Jigsaw Puzzles

Trains and locomotives, whether steam or diesel seem to capture that spirit of adventure and take us back to a different time. The photos made into jigsaw puzzles of this exciting mode of travel are sure to bring back memories for people who love their train journeys.

In this new series of CDs there are 5 different photos which have been converted to jigsaws of 12, 24, 40, 104 and 260 pieces each, making a total of 25 jigsaw puzzles.

Trains Jigsaw Puzzles CD

Australia (incl. P&H) $29.00 AUD Overseas (incl. P&H) $33.00 AUD

These photos are of trains old and new, working and at rest. Sure to bring back memories for people who love trains and travel, especially throughout the USA in Alaska, Arizona and Colorado. There's the Alaska Railroad in Talkeetna, Alaska, the Grand Canyon Railway at the South Rim station, Arizona, the Verde Canyon Railroad, Arizona, a Santa Fe Railway caboose, Williams, Arizona, and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, Colorado.

Puzzles are not printable, they're designed to be used on a personal computer or laptop or even on a large screen via a data projector.

Internet access is not required.

If you would like to try a sample of a jigsaw, email me at fran@franwest.com

Feeling Like A Small Cog In A Big Machine?

Welcome to issue no. 30 of Pilot your life. March 2012
You can read the full colour version or just read the text below.

Have you ever felt like you were a small cog in a big machine?

Pilot your life newsletter no. 30

View more documents from Fran West

As I discovered on my trip to the UK last year, there are cogs and then there are other cogs.

In addition to my passion for flying, I also like travelling on trains, particularly when they’re in different countries. Not only do the trains vary but the terrain through which they travel can be very different too.

In Wales, the narrow gauge steam railways cooperatively market themselves as the Great Little Trains of Wales. One of the great little train journeys I went on was the Snowdon Mountain Railway which runs through Snowdonia National Park in the north of the country. The train departs the station in Llanberis and winds its way over 7.5 kilometres up the steep mountain slopes to reach the summit of Mount Snowdon at 3,560 feet (almost 1,200 metres).

Because of the steep terrain, the train can’t run on normal train tracks. It runs on a rack and pinion system designed by a Swiss engineer, Dr Roman Abt. Basically, each small locomotive has toothed pinions (cogwheels) which grab onto the rack, giving it traction for the ascent. During the descent, the rack and pinion system acts as a brake.

To climb up the mountain, the locomotive also runs with the chimney first and pushes the carriage up the steep incline. Everything is geared to reaching the summit (and returning) safely and working with nature.

Looking back at the photos I’d taken of this little train and its tracks got me thinking about cogs. For some people, the term “feeling like a small cog in a big machine” has a lot of negative connotations like powerlessness, lack of importance and being under valued.

However, this Welsh cog railway illustrates the positive side of cogs.

Cogs are part of a team.

Not only are they a valuable part of a team, they’re part of a successful team because the train reaches its goal, the summit of Mount Snowdon. They’re also extremely important because without them the train wouldn’t run at all. And they’re powerful too because they enable the train to ascend without slipping backwards and descend without speeding out of control down the mountainside.

The Snowdon Mountain Railway also puts into practice one of my own tips. It tackles everything in bite size pieces. There are no big powerful locomotives in the system. All that’s required is one small loco and one carriage. There are, however, quite a number of engines and carriages to take the thousands of visitors up to the summit and back.
A winning formula since 1896 and still going strong.

So what do you think is the logo of the Snowdon Mountain Railway? A cog of course. That’s how important cogs are.

So, if at any time you feel like a “small cog in the big machine” of life (or business) and you need a bit of inspiration, then just think of the wonderful cogs of Wales.

Here are another three tips for how to pilot your life (personal or business):

Turn negatives into positives.
Look on the bright side.

Teamwork is extremely powerful.
Together Everyone Achieves More.

Tackle everything in bite size pieces.
It’s easier to eat a block of chocolate a bite at a time
than it is to try and eat the whole block at once.

Fran's Backpack - When Giants Roamed: The Golden Age of Steam DVD

Fran's Backpack brings to you various products on travel, adventure, flying and photography.

They could be books, ebooks, videos, or gear. Check each one out as it's highlighted on the day.

Today's item in the Backpack is When Giants Roamed: The Golden Age of Steam DVD.

I love my train journeys and while in the USA a couple of years ago I travelled on the Grand Canyon and Verde Canyon Railways in Arizona and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Guage Railroad in Colorado. This DVD does look rather interesting with a 4.5 star rating by customers.

Editorial Reviews
In the first half of the 20th century, America's railroads were transformed by the coming of giants. Pushed by the need to haul ever longer and heavier trains, the nation's locomotive works responded with the awe-inspiring articulated engines. Delivering up to 7,500 horsepower, these steel giants could haul trains a mile long and weighing over 15,000 tons. WHEN GIANTS ROAMED journeys back to the golden age of steam for an up-close look at these legendary locos. See the Union Pacific's famed Big Boy in action and ride the rails of the Chesapeake & Ohio and Norfolk & Western, eastern coal-hauling railroads with an unquenchable thirst for power. Meet the men who drove engines like the Allegheny and Yellowstone, and visit the museums and yards where the largest steamers ever built are preserved today. It's a historic excursion sure to set any railfan's heart pounding.

Fran's Backpack - Locomotives of Australia: 1850s to 2010

Fran's Backpack brings to you various products on travel, adventure, flying and photography.

They could be books, ebooks, videos, or gear. Check each one out as it's highlighted on the day.

Today's item in the Backpack is Locomotives of Australia: 1850s to 2010 [Hardcover].

Click on the ad for more information.

Product Description
The first edition of this book appeared as a 272 page work three decades ago, its main aim being to provide a potted examination of the multiplicity of steam, diesel and electric locomotives that have graced this country from 1854. Since this first humble appearance, the book has grown in content, photography and style, and examining in some detail the massive technological changes that have swept onto the Australian locomotive scene. With an up-to-date map of the nations rail system and photographs provided by some of the nations more dedicated photographers, this book continues to provide a concise profile of the country's diversified motive power in what is the largest railway book yet produced in this country.

Pichi Richi Railway on Track Again near Quorn, South Australia

The Pichi Richi Railway, based at Quorn, in the southern Flinders Ranges, is one of the favourite train journeys in South Australia.

The line extends from the historic little township of Quorn to Woolshed Flat. When I was on "Off the Beaten Track", photographing for the "Outback Adventure" DVD, it was in the spring after such a lot of rain. The grass was green, instead of brown, making everything look especially lush and the wattles were also in bloom adding splashes of yellow to the countryside.

From the train we could see rolling hills, dams, huge gnarled gum trees and fast flowing creeks. Just a pleasant view of the country including the Devil's Peak.

After we'd been on our train journey, we continued on to Wilpena Pound, in the Flinders Ranges, and also to the Gammon Ranges. On the way back we were fortunate to have a roadside view of the Pichi Richi Railway again.



We saw a group of cars parked near the railway crossing and knew that the train was bound to be along shortly. A great photo of the train crossing the road appears in "Outback Adventure" DVD. However, I like to photograph more than just the engine at the front.

Here's a photo of the guard's van at the back of the train. Note the old lamps at the rear of the van.

Modern technology is here to stay with the solar panel in the background providing the power for the railway crossing signals.

More views of the Pichi Richi Railway are on the "Outback Adventure" DVD.

Outback Adventure DVD

Australia (incl. P&H) $27.50 Overseas (incl. P&H) $31.00

I'm Just Train Loco

I just love train journeys and the Grand Canyon Railway, originating in Williams, Arizona, offered a great opportunity to indulge my passion.

When I was in America's Southwest in 2009, I made sure I reserved 3 trips with my internet bookings. The Verde Canyon, Arizona, through desert country, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Guage Railroad, Colorado, through mountains, and the Grand Canyon Railway, Arizona, to that famous canyon. All very different trips.

Some journeys are about the train itself, others are about the country travelled through, or about the destination. The Grand Canyon Railway is more about the destination than the countryside en route. However, what happens on the train during its journey is quite memorable.


Before boarding the train, there's a bit of a cowboy shootout in an outdoor theatre. The characters board the train with the passengers and the comedy carries on during the journey. Our conductor was a very talented and funny woman who kept us entertained with stories about the scenery and the railway. On the way back from the canyon, we were even entertained by guitar playing cowboys.

The main attraction really is the time spent at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon (engine pictured below). If you plan it properly you can go on some of the walks to the scenic spots and then catch the free buses to the lookouts. Just make sure that you're back in time to catch the train because it's a long and expensive process to return to Williams if you miss the train. We were well and truly warned!

Having modern carriages meant that the large glass windows couldn't be opened and so reflections marred many of the photos I took during the journey. However, it's still one of the great scenic railways that you must go on.

Check out the product below if you're into train journeys.

Outback Adventure DVD Out Now! Video Clip

"Outback Adventure" DVD highlighting photos from "Off the Beaten Track", earlier in September, is now available. It can be purchased in both PAL format (for Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom) and also NTSC format (for the USA, Canada, Europe and South America).

There are 270 photos (without captions), plus credits, featuring South Australia's Outback, Gammon Ranges and Flinders Ranges. Wildlife, windmills and wildflowers all make an appearance. Mini adventures like the Pichi Richi Railway journey and the Ridge Top Tour at Arkaroola are there too.

Visits to Alligator Gorge, the Ochre Pits and Leigh Creek Coal Field are included as well. Signs, buildings, vehicles and people make an appearance alongside trees, creeks and beautiful scenery.

Did I mention there are planes in it too?

What more could you want as a snapshot of the Australian Bush? These are the places Oprah didn't visit.

The DVD lasts for about 26.5 minutes and has an easy listening soundtrack.

Enjoy the video clip (short but great).



The DVDs are AUD$25.00 each. Postage & handling for Australia is AUD$2.50 and for outside Australia it's AUD$6.00. Contact me at fran@franwest.com for a bulk P&H cost if purchasing more than one copy.

Although primarily designed for aged care and dementia patients, the DVDs can be and are enjoyed by people of all ages.

P.S. the wildflowers on the DVD label are South Australia's floral emblem, the Sturt Desert Pea, (absolutely stunning in the Wearing Gorge). There are just a few on the actual DVD too.

Outback Adventure DVD

Australia (incl. P&H) $27.50 Overseas (incl. P&H) $31.00

Outback Adventure DVD Nearing Completion

"Outback Adventure" DVD highlighting photos from "Off the Beaten Track", earlier in September, is nearing completion. It will be released in both PAL format (for Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom) and also NTSC format (for the USA, Canada, Europe and South America).

There will be at least 260 photos (without captions) featuring South Australia's Outback, Gammon Ranges and Flinders Ranges. Wildlife, windmills and wildflowers all make an appearance. Mini adventures like the Pichi Richi Railway journey and the Ridge Top Tour at Arkaroola are there too.

Visits to Alligator Gorge, the Ochre Pits and Leigh Creek Coal Field are included as well. Signs, buildings, vehicles and people make an appearance alongside trees, creeks and beautiful scenery.

Did I mention there are planes in it too?

What more could you want as a snapshot of the Australian Bush?

A video snippet will be posted as soon as the DVD's completed (probably after Christmas or in early January).

If you'd like to reserve a copy at AUD$25.00 contact me at fran@franwest.com.

P.S. the wildflowers on the DVD label are South Australia's floral emblem, the Sturt Desert Pea, (absolutely stunning in the Wearing Gorge).

Pichi Richi Park, near Quorn, South Australia

On the first night of "Off the Beaten Track", we stayed at Pichi Richi Park, just out of Quorn in the southern Flinders Ranges. Set in beautiful surroundings, in the Pichi Richi Pass, the accommodation caters for individuals and groups.

We stayed in the South Cabin and after a horrible windy and rainy day it was a pleasure to be in a cabin with nice comfy beds, cosy heating and kitchen facilities to cook a hot meal.

The hosts were very friendly and most accommodating.

There's a great view of Devil's Peak, bushwalking trails which link to the Heysen Trail and best of all for train spotters, the Pichi Richi train passes right through the property. I wish we could have stayed longer and it's definitely a place to return to in the future.


Check the site for more information http://www.pichirichipark.com.au.

You can contact me here.

Pichi Richi Railway, Quorn, South Australia

Here's a mini adventure where you can stick your head out the window, get a puff of smoke in your face, a tiny cinder in your eye and know exactly what you're on.

A steam train! The Pichi Richi heritage steam railway, based at Quorn in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia.

No adults are allowed on the train - only little kids and big kids! And the big kids in my carriage were definitely acting like little kids.

All excited to be on a train, swaying side to side, and doing a hopeless job of trying to take videos and photographs.

The round trip of about two hours stops at Woolshed Flat for about 40 mins (enough time for a piping hot pasty or pie, and a cuppa) then returns to Quorn.

The train winds its way through open country, then rolling hills, past creeks, dams, gum trees and ever so many people stopping to wave at the lucky ones.

Read more about it at http://www.prr.org.au/cms/index.php

You can contact me here.

Off the Beaten Track DVD coming soon

"Off the Beaten Track" DVD will be released shortly. It contains several hundred photos taken on the recent trip to Outback Australia for
The World By Web - http://theworldbyweb.com.

As well as the magnificent scenery of the Flinders and Gammon Ranges, there are photos of the wildlife, wildflowers, buildings, people and activities. A true Outback experience.


The photos (without captions or narration) are made into a movie presentation suitable for playing on your TV (in PAL or NTSC).

Only AUD$25.00 (free postage), so order NOW by contacting me at fran@franwest.com.

Off the Beaten Track to Outback Australia - 3 days to go

Just a few more days before I head Off the Beaten Track to Outback South Australia.



Day Two is Quorn to Rawnsley Park Station. Not so far to travel after an exciting ride on the famous Pichi Richi Railroad at Quorn.




There'll be a bit more time to explore around Wilpena Pound and Rawnsley Park. The following day will be longer, starting with a hot air balloon ride early in the morning (weather permitting).

If you'd like to see more of these places you can join me on my trip, by remote via the web, by going to this site
http://theworldbyweb.com/global/blogs/entry/Fran-West-Off-the-beaten-track-1-week-till-launch

The DVD of this trip, "Outback Adventure", is available now. Click here.

Off the Beaten Track with Fran West

The next adventure's coming up soon from the 4th to 12th September.

We've actually had some rain in Australia this year and I'm heading up through the Flinders Ranges and Gammon Ranges to photograph Lake Eyre and the Cooper Creek in flood. The last time the Cooper Creek was in flood was in 1991, so it's going to be an exciting trip.

More about the trip will be posted soon. Stay tuned.

Train Adventure on the Verde Canyon Railroad with Fran West

The Verde Canyon Railroad was one of three train adventures during my trip to Arizona last year. The historic route from Clarkdale to the ghost ranch of Perkinsville and back is the only way to see the canyon.



The hills, red sentinels against the blue Arizona sky, are the territory of the majestic bald eagle (also the logo of the train).

Although not in the same class as the Grand Canyon in the north of the state, the rock formations and the desert flora and fauna still make this a very pleasant rail journey. Between the carriages are open areas where you can sit or stand and listen to the local guide give a commentary about the railroad and its history. Well worth the trip.

The pink prickly pear juice wasn't bad either!