damn. i was happilly taking a break from typing / checking racing results by preparing a meal for lunch and dinner (ie so i didn't have to think about it again) and put the palm of my writing hand on a cake-cooling tray that i'd just taken out of the pre-warmed oven as i put the dish in. Luckilly for me i've completed the writing part of today, and the slightly bent position the bandage of paw-paw ointment, folded up kitchen paper towel positioned by four elastoplasts fits snugly over the track-ball, and typing is ok. writing is impossible for the rest of the day - and i've yet to see how deep part of the burn is. I was nearly going to 'reiki' it, or tear some aloe vera from the garden apart, but my money's with paw-paw ointment at the moment. thank goodness you can get it from the chemist. Better be careful getting the dish out one-handed!!! Wow though, i did a lot this morning - and the shake in my hand that was affecting my handwriting seems to have gone. phew. (the burn is a faint mark and i lost 70% of the money i bet - that'll teach me ;-)