diff --git a/core/views/uploads.py b/core/views/uploads.py
index 53c59cb..9b4b3fd 100644
--- a/core/views/uploads.py
+++ b/core/views/uploads.py
@@ -60,7 +60,6 @@ def logbookedit(request, year=None):
     """Type in a logbook entry.
     No editing yet, name is implying a future enhancement
     """
-    author = "Zonker"
     if not year:
         year = 2023
     
@@ -72,14 +71,15 @@ def logbookedit(request, year=None):
             return render(request, "errors/generic.html", {"message": message})
         else:
             # validation all to be done yet..
-            author = request.POST["author"]   
-            date = request.POST["date"]   
-            others = request.POST["others"]   
-            place = request.POST["place"]   
+            date = request.POST["date"]   # check valid and this year
+            author = request.POST["author"]   # check against personexpedition
+            others = request.POST["others"]    # check each against personexpedition
+            place = request.POST["place"]   # no hyphens !
             title = request.POST["title"]   
-            entry = request.POST["text"] 
-            tu = request.POST["tu"] 
-            seq = 99
+            entry = request.POST["text"] # replace 2 \n or <p> with <br><br>
+            tu = request.POST["tu"] # check numeric
+            seq = 99 # should match the number of entries on this date +1 in the db already
+            
             # OK this could be done by rendering a template, but for such a small bit of HTML, it is easier to have
             # it all in one place: here
             output = f'''
@@ -95,7 +95,11 @@ def logbookedit(request, year=None):
                 {
                     "form": form,
                     "year": year,
-                    "author": author,
+                    "date": date,
+                    "place": place,
+                    "title": title,
+                    "tu": tu,
+                    "entry": entry,
                     "output": output,
                 },
             )
@@ -109,7 +113,6 @@ def logbookedit(request, year=None):
             {
                 "form": form,
                 "year": year,
-                "author": author,
             },
         )
 
diff --git a/templates/logbookform.html b/templates/logbookform.html
index 69a671f..1aea60c 100644
--- a/templates/logbookform.html
+++ b/templates/logbookform.html
@@ -24,42 +24,45 @@
        {% csrf_token %}              
     <br />                 
        
-          <label for="date">Date of the activity</label>
+           <label for="date">Date of the activity</label>
            <input {% if not user.username %} disabled{% endif %} 
            label = "Date" name = "date" size="12"
            title="Date of the activity, a single day,  in ISO format: 2020-08-17"
-           placeholder="{% if date %}{{date}}{% else %}2023-08-01{% endif %}" " required /> 
+           {% if date %}value="{{date}}"{% else %}placeholder="2023-08-12"{% endif %}
+           required /> 
     <br /><br />       
            <label for="author">Your name (author) <a href="/aliases/{{year}}">[valid authors]</a></label>
            <input {% if not user.username %} disabled{% endif %} 
            label = "author" name = "author" size="20"
            title="The person writing the logbook entry"
-           placeholder="{{author}}"  required /> 
+           {% if author %}value="{{author}}"{% else %}placeholder="Animal"{% endif %}
+           required /> 
     <br /><br />        
            <label for="others">Other names (comma separated) <a href="/aliases/{{year}}">[valid aliases]</a></label>
            <input {% if not user.username %} disabled{% endif %} 
            label = "others" name = "others" size="20"
            title="Everyone else involved"
-           placeholder="Phil T, Chas, Planc"  /> 
+           {% if others %}value="{{others}}"{% else %}placeholder="Phil T, Chas, Planc" {% endif %}
+           required /> 
     <br /><br />         
            <label for="place">Place: cave name, or 'plateau', 'topcamp' etc.</label>
            <input {% if not user.username %} disabled{% endif %} 
            label = "Place" name = "place" size="15"
            title="Place: cave name, or 'plateau', 'topcamp'  "
-           placeholder="basecamp"   required /> 
+           {% if place %}value="{{place}}"{% else %}placeholder="basecamp" {% endif %}
+           required /> 
     <br /><br />        
            <label for="title">Title</label>
            <input {% if not user.username %} disabled{% endif %} 
            label = "Title" name = "title" size="30"
-           title="What we did on our holidays"
-           placeholder="What we did on our holidays"  required /> 
+           title="Title of your activity"
+           {% if place %}value="{{title}}"{% else %}placeholder="What we did on our holidays" {% endif %}
+           required /> 
     <br /><br /> 
-           <label for="title"></label>
            <textarea {% if not user.username %} disabled{% endif %} 
            rows="5" cols="60"
            label = "" name = "text" 
-           title="We had a lot of fun..."
-           placeholder="We had a lot of fun..."  required />We had a lot of fun...
+           required />{% if entry %}{{entry}}{% else %}We had a lot of fun...{% endif %}
            </textarea>
            <br>
            [Type in text in <a href="/handbook/logbooks.html#format">Logbook HTML format</a>.]