What makes your skin crawl?

Most of the flooring downstairs in my house consists of polished oak floorboards or practical ceramic tiles. There is one room, however, that lies between the hall and the kitchen that really needed carpet to cover all the lumps and bumps and inconsistencies that tell the story of when the house was extended.

We use the room as a study with a big oak desk, my Mac computer and leather bucket chairs but it is also a through route.

When I chose the carpet, I was sensible enough to choose a really hard wearing one but whatever possessed me to buy a hardwearing light oatmeal coloured carpet I'll never know. Don't get me wrong, it looks great but oh, how it shows up the dirt.

I like to have a fairly relaxed approach to living and would never demand that my visitors remove their outdoor shoes before stepping across onto my carpet but my heart sinks when I notice yet another dirty footmark.

It was getting so bad that I was embarrassed by the dirty pathway through my office and it was making me more slovenly with regards to how I treated the room. Dirt and mess attracts more dirt and mess. It was time to do something about it.

As I was shopping in Morrisons I noticed they had their Vanish Powerfoam High Traffic Carpet Cleaner on special offer. Sounded exactly what I needed. The idea is that you spray the foam over your dirty carpet, work it in a bit, leave it to dry then vacuum. This promised 5x the cleaning power of vacuuming alone.

It was hard for me. Spraying - no problem, leaving to dry and vacuuming - no problem, 'working it in a bit' - BIG PROBLEM.

My sister can't bear the feel of polystyrene, many people hate the sound of chalk scratching a blackboard. For me, the feel and sound of rubbing carpets is the thing that makes my skin crawl. I had to travel a long way in to my 'happy place' to overcome my revulsion and work that foam. I kept reminding myself that I had conquered my fear of worms and this should be much easier. It wasn't. Just writing about it now is making me feel slightly delicate and uneasy.

On the plus side, my carpet came up pretty well and I went out and bought a carpet runner to act like a path between kitchen and hall. As well a being a great new play zone for the kids ( I'm not sure why but they really like it) it will hopefully mean that my oatmeal carpet remains oatmeal rather than dirty grey and my need to 'work the foam is' all but eliminated.

What makes your skin crawl?

The Gallery - Week 52 - Hair

Tara's theme this week, Hair, was full of possibilities from the bad home perms of my teenage years, elegant buns and funky dos from daughter number 2's love affair with dance (that lasted until her hamstrings screamed in protest and could not be quietened) and the glorious blonde genetic mystery of my youngest daughter.

However, the photograph that first sprung to mind and failed to be usurped by any of the other contenders was this one of Taylor, Xmas 2001. Her normally sleek straight hair just went crazy. We blamed it on the snow.

Movie Meme #6 - Chick Flick

It always surprises me how much I enjoy a good chick flick. The one I have chosen for this week's Movie Meme is House Bunny.

I stumbled on this movie by accident whilst channel hopping in search of distraction but was quickly hooked and enjoyed every minute of it. House Bunny is the story of orphan Shelley Darlingson who found the family she craved as a Bunny in the Playboy Mansion. This all changes when she is expelled from the Mansion just after her 27th birthday for allegedly being too old. She finds a new family when she becomes house mother to a group of social misfit sorority girls.

The gentle character development of the naive "House Bunny" played brilliantly by the insanely cute and pretty Anna Faris along with the many uplifting, feel good moments make this pure entertainment. It also contains a cautionary moral message about how popularity can corrupt and the importance of being true to yourself.

Magpie Monday - Why I Love Charity Shopping

It was a beautiful day today so I thought a walk into town to browse the charity shops would be a nice way to spend and hour and take my mind off my achey legs after a fairly extreme session at the gym this weekend (one of the trainers targeted my daughter and I because we obviously looked as though we were being totally ineffective - I was actually struggling to get my foot into the pedal strap of the exercise bike which wasn't really showcasing my dedication to fitness)

The thing I  love most about Charity Shopping is you just never know what you're going to find.

I always look out for knitting books for my mum and my daughter Taylor has made a list of all the Stephen King books not already in our collection in the hope of picking them up. We also have another project on the boil at the moment.

Since the family band recorded their original song, they have been thinking of ideas for a music video to accompany it. Liberty has drawn up a story board of her vision and has the idea of buying all the props from charity shops to keep the production costs to a very limited budget. I was delighted that the idea to do this was inspired by Ivy's birthday party.

I didn't find any knitting books, or Stephen King books but I did find a Business text book for Taylor and a book of the Scripts from Ricky Gervais' comedy masterpiece, The Office, which I will enjoy flicking through before passing on to Media Student and wannabe Script Writer, Ivy. I also found a little book of brainteasers that always go down well with my girls and three lovely books for my little ones.

I couldn't resist this simple, pink china bowl that I think will look lovely on a shelf in my little girl's room, maybe to keep her hairbands in...

...and finally, an item that I think will fit in with Liberty's wardrobe vision for her music video, (which I maybe ought to have arranged neater for the photograph!)

All of this set me back the trifling sum of £2.97.

Pleasurable, productive, surprising, inexpensive - these are just some of the reasons Why I Love Charity Shopping.

Pizza Express Passata - Review

We all love Pizza.

Pizza nights at our house always have a party atmosphere. If we ever eat out as a family, a Pizza restaurant  is a good option.

Pizza Express make a very good Pizza.

After our Session in a Recording Studio in Birmingham last week, we all descended on The Bullring in search of lunch and made our way to Pizza Express.

It was very busy but they managed to find us a table and the girls buried their noses in menus to make their selections. Everyone enjoyed their meal.

Margherita, Quattro Formaggi, Padana or Funghi di Bosco?

Catering tins of Pizza Express Passata

Making the pizzas

Lunch is served - mmmm

I was very happy to find out that Pizza Express are making their Passata available for purchase in supermarkets and even happier to be sent one to review.

It comes in a 400g tin bearing the same eye catching design as the catering tins with the addition of the distinctive Pizza Express logo. It would certainly stand out on the supermarket shelves.

The back of the tin explains:

Our famous tomato sauce used in our kitchens since 1965, is made by the Greci family, near Parma, to a recipe perfected by Pizza Express founder Peter Boizot. 
Peter traveled to Italy at harvest time, securing the sweetest sun-ripened tomatoes to be crushed into sauce within 12 hours of picking. After seasoning with salt and pepper, the finishing touch was a fresh basil leaf added to every can.

To trial the Passata, I decided to make Calzone. This was an ambitious undertaking as I had never attempted it before. I can't honestly say it was a resounding success recipe wise but the Passata was gorgeous.

You can watch the Calzone Video on YouTube but be warned, it will take 13minutes and 44seconds of your life! For the edited highlights (ie the moment when we actually use the passata) see below (a mercifully short 2 minutes 22seconds!)

Despite the disastrous appearance of my Calzone, it was really tasty and everyone cleaned their plate. The Passata was sweet, thick, tomatoey and fresh tasting and transported me back to our Saturday lunch at the Pizza Express restaurant.

I still had half a can left after making the Calzone so I had a second attempt at making a cookery video. My little helper was with me again as we used the leftovers to create an open pie.

I don't think I am about to break into the world of TV chefs but I did enjoy our cookery project and the Passata was outstanding as an ingredient. What we lacked in skill and finesse the Pizza Express Passata more than made up for in taste.

Silent Sunday

My Top 5 Time Travel Destinations- Listography

How many of us haven't wished for a Time Machine at some point, even if it is only to revisit our teenage selves to say Really, you should listen to your mother when she says don't go out of the house looking like that.


Kate's Listography this week hands us that Time Machine so fasten your seat belts and let's go...

1. Ancient Egypt
When I first learned about Ancient Egyptians at school it resonated very strongly with me. It wasn't just the funky eyeliner and all that gold, I loved that they worshipped cats and would shave their eyebrows off if their cat died.

2. Early 19th Century England
To live out my Pride and Prejudice Fantasies.

3. Roswell, 1947

Alien Cover Up or Hoax? Let's see what really happened.

4. 30th April, 2064 
This is the day that I would be celebrating my 100th birthday. Either I'll join the party or just discreetly check up on all my descendants to see if any of them remind me of me.

5. The Moment Before the End of the World
Wether it be a natural disaster, a political crisis, a deadly epidemic, an alien invasion or an event of cosmic magnitude it would be quite something to witness the demise of the fragile planet that we somehow believe is indestructible.

From Here to There in a Dozen Pictures

Regards Rainbow has set a rather interesting challenge to document a regular journey in 12 photographs, trying to see it with new eyes. I couldn't resist and set off with my camera, on foot, to my local supermarket. This is a journey I take very regularly, sometimes in the car if I have a lot of shopping to do but more usually on foot to pick up a few odds and ends. The sun was shining beautifully which makes you look at the world with new eyes anyway.

The hardest part of any journey - getting out of the house.
Note to self: SWEEP UP THOSE LEAVES !!

There is beauty to be found wherever you look.

An empty Fruit Cocktail can (large) on a neighbours wall
 begs the question WHY??

It pays to remember that in a collision between a pedestrian and a vehicle,
the pedestrian is never likely to come off best.

If I noticed this at the end of my road,
why then do irresponsible dog owners fail to do so??

The Pie Factory is a lot less discreet since the perimeter trees were chopped down.

Past the shop that inspires ballroom fantasies.

Ready for emergencies.

The Fire Station Practice Tower reaching up into the sky

Nearly there

I love the bark on these trees - it makes me think of the Gruffalo's Deep Dark Wood

In the words of my SatNav - You have reached your destination

Reasons to be Cheerful

Flashback Friday - Liz Taylor?

The sad death of Elizabeth Taylor this week reminded me of an old photograph of my mum, who was mistaken for the actress on more than one occasion. 

It is interesting to me that my dad does not like this photograph of his beautiful, glamorous wife. I think he objected to her showing that amount of bare flesh to the photographer!

Johnson's 2in1 Bubble Bath & Wash - Review

My two little ones are a pair of scruffy urchins. Luckily, they both love bath time. The one complaint I always get from my more vocal daughter is that she wants MORE BUBBLES PLEASE.

The new product from Johnson's - 2in1 Bubble Bath & Wash - sounded as though it could grant her wish.

I am a little bit careful about what bath products I use with my daughter as she is prone to outbreaks of eczema. Johnson's is a name I grew up with and it inspires trust. I was very pleased to be sent a bottle of 2in1 Bubble Bath & Wash to review.

You will see from the video that there were plenty of bubbles to satisfy even the most demanding of bubble fans. There was also plenty of splashing which inevitably meant water in the eyes (not to mention all over my video camera) but the mild NO MORE TEARS formula delivered on its promise. Both children had lots of fun and came out of the bath clean and fresh smelling.

My daughter is trying her hand at some painting today. I imagine that we will be putting the Bubble Bath & Wash to very good use later! 

Still clean at the moment... but not for  much longer!

This is a lovely product as you would expect from Johnson's.

Johnson's 2in1 Bubble Bath & Wash - £2.99 for 500ml

School Photo

Tara's Gallery this week on theme 'Education' saw a lot of old school photographs coming out of the woodwork. Tara has a fabulous plan to collate all these images and create a Blogger's YearBook.

I only have two old school photographs. Next time I visit my mum I will have to raid her albums for more but meanwhile it was a choice between me with a rather fetching 70s Feather Cut and my favourite C&A T-shirt and this one of me with my very best sky blue crimplene high necked dress and a shiny fringe. This one stole the spot but only because the other (although more recent) was already so faded that I wasn't sure it would survive the scanning process.

It's an odd feeling looking at this long ago version of myself, knowing all she has to experience, both good and bad. That little girl is still somewhere inside of me and today I acknowledge her, give her a big hug and hope that somehow, through time and space, she feels the love.

The Gallery - Week 51 - Education

This week's Gallery theme is Education.

It got me thinking about the Foundation degree in Teaching and Learning I completed three years ago. Had I not fallen pregnant with my daughter I would probably have gone on to complete a BA with a teaching qualification before embarking on a career as a primary school teacher. As it was, my files, assignments and module resources got relegated to the loft and replaced with nappies, parenting manuals and board books.

In the interest of Spring Cleaning and general de-cluttering, I ventured into the loft today. There seems little point in keeping any of the pile of stuff accumulated throughout the course so I dedicate this Gallery post to the months of effort and hard work that this photo represents before everything is recycled.

I may not have become a teacher but I did learn how to spell and use in context (although still not 100% sure on pronunciation) the words pedagogy and pedagogical. One day that may serve me well.

Firefly Toothbrush - Review

There was a beautiful young mum on One Born Every Minute this week with the worst teeth.
http://lifebegins.channel4.com/birth/the-process/pain-control/epidural/suzanne-gives-birth-to-baby-daniel/

It makes you appreciate the importance of good dental hygiene.

My little girl has a full set of baby teeth - tiny and white. She loves to brush them and knows that this forms part of her bedtime and morning routine.

The important thing now is for us to make sure that her brushing is effective.

Expert opinion suggests that two minutes is the optimum time for brushing, one minute each on the upper and lower sets.

Firefly is America's number one bestselling children's toothbrush and they are now available in the UK. They come in a range of familiar Character designs which are instantly appealing but the most interesting feature is the Light Up Technology. At the press of the button, the toothbrush will light up and flash for 1 minute. The child must brush for the duration of the flashing for the upper teeth and again for the lower teeth.

As well as making teeth brushing fun, Firefly ensures that children know how long to brush for thus promoting good dental hygiene habits.

I was sent a Firefly Hello Kitty toothbrush to try with my little girl. This is how we got on.

Obviously some parental supervision is still necessary to monitor technique but the Firefly timer will definitely be beneficial in terms of getting her to brush for the required length of time and my little one does love her flashing Hello Kitty toothbrush.

The Firefly range is available from Lloyds Pharmacy, Argos and other leading independent stockists  priced £1.49 - £2.49.

Find Firefly on Facebook

Movie Meme #5 - My Favourite Actor

Forget the delicious and fantastically talented Johnny Depp, forget Brad Pitt. There is only one actor who I can guarantee will have me racing for the Record button on my Sky+ remote in order that I might watch his performance over and over again and that is unknown, bit part, Manchester based, undiscovered superstar and personal friend, the one and only Mr John Draycott.

I cannot even begin to describe how much I adore this man.

As kids growing up, he lived a few doors down from me. I lived in the tatty 2 bed semi and he lived in what seemed to me to be the most glamorous detatched house in the row. His mum worked so my mum would look after him between school finishing and her return. It gave us plenty of opportunity to play.

Eventually, the easy relationship we had climbing trees and playing with his action men developed into  experimenting in the fine art of snogging but he was in love with raven haired, elfin fellow classmate so any romance between us was always doomed to failure.  We did indulge in the occasional fumble in his garden shed and he always made my heart race a little bit but our friendship endured.

He enrolled on an acting course.

I was convinced that he was going to be huge success. I was also half convinced that we would end up married. Neither have happened!

He has an impressive list of appearances in well known TV shows such as Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Shameless and Cold Feet but with the exception of his iconic role as the Ice Cream Man with a Nose Bleed in The League of Gentlemen, he seems to pass largely under the radar of the viewing public.

My favourite role from my favourite actor was in the TV series Married, Single, Other. I loved this series and had no idea that John had a part in it. I actually whooped with delight (once I got over the initial disbelief) when the patient being transported to hospital in main character Eddie's ambulance with a remote control inserted so far up his bum as to need medical assistance to remove it and protesting the accidental nature of how this came to be as a consequence of over vigorous vaccuuming was none other than my Mr Draycott. Classic!

My top 5 Things I Want to be When I Grow Up - Listography

1. Mum to Eight Kids - This is the earliest 'when I grow up' fantasy I can remember. I wanted to live in a big house that I had built myself and have eight kids. Well I do  a bit of decorating and DIY and I have managed six kids so I am going to say that is pretty much mission accomplished!

2. Special Effects Make Up Artist - I love horror films, I love a bit of gore, I love getting arty and experimental. It would be an absolute dream job for me to be involved in the special effects team responsible for the graphic portrayal of body part trauma and the like.

3. Working in a Laboratory - This should be a realistic possibility rather than a fantasy as I do have a degree in Chemistry. I include it in my Top 5 because I always feel most at home in a Lab Coat surrounded by chemicals, scientific apparatus and bunsen burners.

4. Pathologist - I really don't know why I didn't pursue this as a career. I'm sure I would have been good at it. There have been several moments in my life where I have had to reassess my situation and think about the reality of actually growing up and taking responsibility for myself as a wage earner. Pathology always came back as an option but never quite made it off the starting block.

5. Cookery Book Photographer - I love cookery books, especially the ones illustrated with beautiful photographs of ingredients and prepared dishes. Whenever I drool over such pictures, I always imagine how much I would have enjoyed being the photographer. Only today, as I was driving along the M6 and thinking about my blog to alleviate the boredom of monotonous motoring, I considered doing a lot more in the way of recipes and food related posts so I had the opportunity to indulge in a little of this sort of photography.

That's my fairly unimaginative but very real Top 5 List of Things I Want to be When I Grow Up. For more of the same or to add your own contribution, visit Manana Mama.

Magpie Monday - A Good Deed

I've had an unproductive week charity shop wise. I did walk into town for a browse but with a pushchair and a nearly three year old who has an uncanny knack for finding the donated plastic monstrosities that play maddeningly untuneful melodies, setting them off then wanting to take them home, my expedition was doomed to failure. We ended up buying Greggs pies instead.

However, there is still a Magpie Monday story to be told.

On our walk into town, we stopped to chat to an elderly couple. They asked us if we would like a sit and ride toy that they were trying to get rid of. The husband admitted it was just a bit of rubbish really. They had put it out for the dustbin men but doubted they would take it with all the rules about refuse collection and recycling. We said that if it was still there when we got back from our walk we would take it home with us. It felt more like doing a good deed than anything else. My husband was due a trip to our local dump. It would be no trouble for him to pop it in with our rubbish and dispose of it.

By the time we had finished our shopping, my little girl was getting very tired (even after fortification from a Greggs Cheese and Onion Slice). She was holding her arms out for a carry which is not all that easy when you have a pushchair to push at the same time. Luckily, we were not far from the dustbin with the sit and ride placed hopefully next to it. We could see that the bin men had left it.

After a quick inspection to see that it wasn't dangerous or about to self destruct, I popped my flagging little one onto the generous seat. It was very dirty, what must have been once vibrant colours had faded and there were a few bits missing. None of this bothered my daughter. She found a renewed burst of energy as her little legs worked hard to propel herself along the pavement towards home.

The sit and ride had a handle that made it easy for a parent to push and steer. Unfortunately, this was one of the bits that was missing!

Somehow, we made it home despite her steering herself into fences and walls. She loved it.

Since then, she has whizzed around our deck on it whenever we have let her outside to play.

It is still dirty. I kept meaning to clean it but wasn't sure whether it should stay or go. My husband made his trip to the dump yesterday.

The sit and ride stayed.

Silent Sunday - I Tried!

Moving the Castle (Howl) - an original song by Ivy

Six thirty was early for me to be up on a Saturday morning. I usually relish the opportunity for a lie in knowing that my husband will be taking care of the kids. This morning was different because we had a 9am appointment an hour away in Birmingham with the Sweet Harmonies recording studio.

I love that my daughters have all proved to be musical and I especially love when they all work together on a song. They constantly amaze me and fill me with pride. I like to encourage their music in any way I can which is why we booked the recording studio to give them a chance to professionally record one of their original songs.

The eldest, Liberty, is the most prolific songwriter and is getting better and better with each one she writes. She had two songs prepared to pick from. Ivy came home from Uni to get in a last minute band practice before the studio session. She brought with her a song that she had written. Much to my surprise, the whole band fell in love with her song and decided to abandon Liberty's in favour of this brand new one.

I was concerned that they were taking a big risk. The session was booked for 9am the next day, it was getting late in the evening and they still hadn't actually played it all through.

I didn't interfere. I left them to get on with it. There was certainly a renewed energy between them as they worked out the drum, bass and keyboard parts and the vocal harmonies.

Ivy struggles with her self confidence sometimes. I couldn't help thinking that using her song was going to do her a lot of good. Ivy also struggles with relinquishing control. There was a strong possibility that it would all end in tears! It didn't. They were brimming with confidence and excitement about what they had achieved so quickly.

We got to the recording studio on time and the girls met their sound engineer.

It seemed to take forever setting up the instruments then doing the sound checks - realising that we were supposed to have brought our own cymbals and that the pick up on Ivy's guitar was faulty. Eventually, all problems overcome, they were ready to sing.

The three hours that we had booked went so quickly.

I felt stupidly emotional listening to the playback as they added extra tracks.

My nearly three year old thought the whole place with its uneven floors and squishy sofas was one big adventure playground. She manage to eat her way through pretty much the entire emergency sweet/crisps/chocolate rations but only got so loud that she interfered with the recording on a couple of occasions!

Three hours of hard work ended. The girls were handed their copies of the CD and they bid farewell to the engineer who had inspired a small amount of hero worship in them for the fact that he understood a  Studio Ghibli reference in Ivy's song and that he thought the film The Brave Little Toaster was awesome.


It was a fantastic experience and the sound quality of the finished product is excellent. I think the girls surprised themselves with how much like a real song it sounded.

The next challenge is to film a Music Video to go with it. I can't wait to see what they come up with and to post it here on my blog. Meanwhile this is a video of their evening rehearsal cut with photographs of our morning at the studio.

Post Something Funny for Comic Relief

The Blog Up North has invited us to post Something Funny for Comic Relief.

This photograph was one I entered into a 'Dexter Mugshot' competition (hence the blood spatter). I did actually win a Dexter box set of DVDs for my efforts but that was merely a bonus on top of the hilarious evening I spent with two of my daughters trying to capture a suitable image.

My long suffering children are used to being subject to such abuse in the name of entering competitions, blogging, or just for the hell of it. They enter into the spirit willingly but with much exaggerated eye rolling.

I wish I had taken the panned out shot to reveal the reality behind the illusion. You would have seen my hard working, studious, intelligent and sensible daughter lying on my bed with pillows to prop her (uncomfortably) into the optimum position for my purposes, obeying instructions to contort her chin into different configurations while fake blood dribbled into her nostril and the corner of her mouth. My other daughter assisted by holding the background in position with arms outstretched to their maximum length and head hunched down to her chest to avoid appearing in shot. On one occasion when she came up for air, I inadvertantly whacked her across the forehead with a heavy camera. Regardless of potential concussion, the shoot continued, with much laughter.

I love how my all my kids are developing wonderful senses of humour. An ability to laugh at situations and yourself is, to me, the most appealing and enduring trait you can possess.

Have fun raising money (and a smile) for Comic Relief.

Flashback Friday - Total Eclipse

I am not flashing back too far for this contribution to Flashback Friday.

Cast your minds back to Wednesday August 11th, 1999.

What occurred on this day was a once in a lifetime opportunity for many people to witness the spectacle of a total solar eclipse, visible from the UK.

The next time this is expected to happen is 2090.

I clearly remember the building excitement and the hushed silence as daylight faded to a spookily unnerving twilight.

I didn't even try to capture the celestial spectacle on camera but I did record my children's reactions to it as they gazed into the sky through their 'fun in the sun' eye protector glasses.

Reasons to be Cheerful

ONE

I managed to avoid the illness that seemed to work its way through everyone in the family to some extent or other. I feel smugly healthful and cheery.

TWO

We've had some gloriously sunny days and there are signs of spring wherever you look.

THREE

Clean water, drainage, sanitary living conditions, food, money, health care, good life expectancy, education..... The people we are raising funds for through Comic Relief do remind you that we have so many reasons to be cheerful.

One Born Every Minute

One Born Every Minute is one of my few 'must watch' TV shows. There are some truly inspirational women and others that are just funny until the moment that the baby is handed to them and then suddenly, all the fuss they had been making is forgotten as they become totally lost in the moment of meeting their newborn for the first time. I will invariably feel the prickling of tears and if I happen to be holding one of my own babies, I will hug them a little tighter remembering the special day when they came into the world. I also feel a tiny stab of sadness that I will never again experience first hand that most incredible of journeys.

With five girls of my own (two of them in their twenties), I think it is a given that it is only a matter of time before one of them finds themself with child and has to prepare for that moment when the inevitable happens - labour and birth. I have been wondering what advice I can give them when that day comes and this is it:

Your body is about to do something amazing. Even as it is happening it is hard to visualise exactly what is going on. You have to trust that your body knows what it is doing even if your mind struggles to comprehend.


There is much to fear.  Will you make a fool of yourself? Will you cope with the pain? Will you know what to do? Will the baby be OK?


You must put your fear to one side.


Find a happy place in your mind where you can allow your body to work it's miracle. Feel the joyous hurt and know that tissues are stretching and accommodating and making possible.

Although this seems to last for an unendurable eternity, it is only a tiny moment in time. It will end and when it does, you will be changed forever in ways you never imagined. You will be a mother.

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