diff --git a/parsers/survex.py b/parsers/survex.py
index aeaf55c..cb6f2ed 100644
--- a/parsers/survex.py
+++ b/parsers/survex.py
@@ -168,9 +168,9 @@ def get_people_on_trip(survexblock):
     
     return list(set(people))
 
-# THIS SHOULD NOT BE GLOBAL ! Should be per instance of file loader
-trip_person_record = {}  # indexed by (survexblock, personexpedition) - so never needs cleaning out
-trip_team_cache = {}  #  indexed by  survexblock, so never needs cleaning out
+# THIS SHOULD NOT BE GLOBAL ! Should be per instance of file loader, even though they are globally unique
+trip_person_record = {}  # a dict indexed by tuples (survexblock, personexpedition) = 1
+trip_team_cache = {}  #  a dict of lists indexed by  survexblock
 def put_person_on_trip(survexblock, personexpedition, tm):
     """Uses a cache to avoid a database query if it doesn't need to.
     Only used for a single person"""
@@ -197,6 +197,7 @@ def put_person_on_trip(survexblock, personexpedition, tm):
     if survexblock not in trip_team_cache:
         trip_team_cache[survexblock] = []
     trip_team_cache[survexblock].append(personrole)
+    print(f"-- trip_team_cache {survexblock}, {trip_team_cache[survexblock]}, {personrole}")
     
     trip_person_record[(survexblock, personexpedition)] = 1   
     return False
@@ -228,17 +229,17 @@ def add_to_pending(survexblock, tm):
     
     if survexblock not in person_pending_cache:
         person_pending_cache[survexblock] = set()
-        
     person_pending_cache[survexblock].add(tm)
+    print(f"-- person_pending_cache {survexblock}, {person_pending_cache[survexblock]}, {tm}")
 
 def get_team_pending(survexblock):
-    """A set of *team names before we get to the *date line in a survexblock
+    """A set of *team names added at the end of the survex block
     """
     global person_pending_cache
     
     if survexblock in person_pending_cache:
         teamnames = person_pending_cache[survexblock] # a set of names
-        person_pending_cache[survexblock] = ()  
+        person_pending_cache[survexblock] = set()  #re zero the cache
         return teamnames
     return 
 
@@ -634,9 +635,9 @@ class LoadingSurvex:
             # so we can't validate whether the person was on expo or not.
             # we will have to attach them to the survexblock anyway, and then do a
             # later check on whether they are valid when we get the date.
-            
-            # big changes 24/2/2025 when Olly changed survex behaviour, and unilaterally edited hundreds of
-            # survex files to match. So troggle has to change to match the revised, stricter syntax.
+
+            # refactor this to collect names before and after a *date, and commit them as
+            # a bulk update only at the END of the survexblock
             
             if not tm: # i.e. null person inthe *team
                 return # ignore: troggle does not need to know. Survex want to though.
@@ -863,13 +864,24 @@ class LoadingSurvex:
                 print(self.insp + message)
                 stash_data_issue(parser='survex', message=message, url=None, sb=(survexblock.survexfile.path))
         return expo
-
+                          
     def LoadSurvexDate(self, survexblock, line):
         """We now have a valid date for this survexblock, so we now know the expo
         it relates to and can use GetPersonExpeditionNameLookup(expo) to check whether
         the people are correct.
         
-        Note that a *team line can come before AND after a *date line"""
+        Note that a *team line can come before AND after a *date line
+        
+        REFACTOR this so that the team setting is independent of the *date line.
+        Keep the team stored in a pending list, and commit to database only at the end of 
+        the survexblock in a bulk_update.
+        
+        This has turned out to be more fiddly than expected and one
+        attempt has already been aborted.
+        
+        caves-1623/161/triassic/henricat.svx has the *date after all the team members
+        in each survexblock
+        """
 
         def setdate_on_survexblock(year):
             """Either *date comes before any *team, in which case there are no prior
@@ -887,7 +899,7 @@ class LoadingSurvex:
                 print(self.insp + message)
                 stash_data_issue(parser='survex', message=message, url=None, sb=(survexblock.survexfile.path))
             
-            if teamnames := get_team_pending(survexblock): # WALRUS https://docs.python.org/3/whatsnew/3.8.html#assignment-expressions
+            if teamnames := get_team_pending(survexblock): 
                 for tm in teamnames:
                     if known_foreigner(tm):
                         message = f"- *team {expo.year} '{tm}' known foreigner *date (misordered) {survexblock.survexfile.path} ({survexblock})  in '{line}'"
@@ -908,7 +920,7 @@ class LoadingSurvex:
                             )
 
         oline = line
-        perps = get_people_on_trip(survexblock)  # What, you don't know Judge Dredd slang ?
+        perps = get_people_on_trip(survexblock)  # perps used for diagnostic error messages only: they are to blame
 
         if len(line) > 10:
             if line[10] == "-":  # ie a range, just look at first date
@@ -1771,15 +1783,6 @@ class LoadingSurvex:
         if edulcni:
             self.ProcessEdulcniLine(edulcni)
             
-    # def get_cave(self, path):
-        # """Read the file path to a survex file and guesses the cave
-        # """
-        # path_match = re.search(r"caves-(\d\d\d\d)/(\d+|\d\d\d\d-?\w+-\d+)/", path)
-        # if path_match:
-            # pos_cave = f"{path_match.group(1)}-{path_match.group(2)}"
-            # cave = getCaveByReference(pos_cave)
-            # return cave
-        # return None
 
     def LinearLoad(self, survexblock, path, collatefilename):
         """Loads a single survex file. Usually used to import all the survex files which have been collated