diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index f8ef4db3..033e8824 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@
 - C API supports optional output args
 - switch back to int-valued operations
 - fix up VipsPool
+- add the operation cache
+- fallback vips_init()
 
 10/8/11 started 7.26.3
 - don't use G_VALUE_COLLECT_INIT(), many platforms do not have a glib this
diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index ff1c1b29..a63c5a09 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -1,9 +1,4 @@
-- cache
-
-
-- im_init_world() fallback is not working 
-
-  need to go back to multiple ifs in object.c
+- cache work ... see notes in file
 
 
 
diff --git a/libvips/include/vips/vips.h b/libvips/include/vips/vips.h
index 9106c0a8..edb098a2 100644
--- a/libvips/include/vips/vips.h
+++ b/libvips/include/vips/vips.h
@@ -149,6 +149,7 @@ extern "C" {
 
 const char *vips_get_argv0( void );
 int vips_init( const char *argv0 );
+void vips_check_init( void );
 GOptionGroup *vips_get_option_group( void );
 
 const char *vips_version_string( void );
diff --git a/libvips/iofuncs/cache.c b/libvips/iofuncs/cache.c
index 85b31fe9..7f336803 100644
--- a/libvips/iofuncs/cache.c
+++ b/libvips/iofuncs/cache.c
@@ -44,8 +44,8 @@
  */
 
 /*
- */
 #define VIPS_DEBUG
+ */
 
 #ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_H
 #include <config.h>
diff --git a/libvips/iofuncs/image.c b/libvips/iofuncs/image.c
index 9eaf9306..9c8789a2 100644
--- a/libvips/iofuncs/image.c
+++ b/libvips/iofuncs/image.c
@@ -299,6 +299,8 @@ vips_image_new_from_file_object( const char *string )
 {
 	VipsImage *image;
 
+	vips_check_init();
+
 	/* We mustn't _build() the object here, so we can't just call
 	 * vips_image_new_from_file().
 	 */
@@ -1409,6 +1411,8 @@ vips_image_new( void )
 {
 	VipsImage *image;
 
+	vips_check_init();
+
 	image = VIPS_IMAGE( g_object_new( VIPS_TYPE_IMAGE, NULL ) );
 	g_object_set( image,
 		"filename", vips_image_temp_name(),
@@ -1562,6 +1566,8 @@ vips_image_new_mode( const char *filename, const char *mode )
 {
 	VipsImage *image;
 
+	vips_check_init();
+
 	image = VIPS_IMAGE( g_object_new( VIPS_TYPE_IMAGE, NULL ) );
 	g_object_set( image,
 		"filename", filename,
@@ -1616,6 +1622,8 @@ vips_image_new_from_file_raw( const char *filename,
 {
 	VipsImage *image;
 
+	vips_check_init();
+
 	image = VIPS_IMAGE( g_object_new( VIPS_TYPE_IMAGE, NULL ) );
 	g_object_set( image,
 		"filename", filename,
@@ -1655,6 +1663,8 @@ vips_image_new_from_memory( void *buffer,
 {
 	VipsImage *image;
 
+	vips_check_init();
+
 	image = VIPS_IMAGE( g_object_new( VIPS_TYPE_IMAGE, NULL ) );
 	g_object_set( image,
 		"filename", vips_image_temp_name(),
diff --git a/libvips/iofuncs/init.c b/libvips/iofuncs/init.c
index b35c57e1..94f058e5 100644
--- a/libvips/iofuncs/init.c
+++ b/libvips/iofuncs/init.c
@@ -262,8 +262,11 @@ vips_init( const char *argv0 )
 	return( 0 );
 }
 
-const char *
-vips__gettext( const char *msgid )
+/* Call this before vips stuff that uses stuff we need to have inited.
+ * Fallback initialisation.
+ */
+void
+vips_check_init( void )
 {
 	/* Pass in a nonsense name for argv0 ... this init path is only here
 	 * for old programs which are missing an vips_init() call. We need
@@ -271,6 +274,12 @@ vips__gettext( const char *msgid )
 	 */
 	if( vips_init( "giant_banana" ) )
 		vips_error_clear();
+}
+
+const char *
+vips__gettext( const char *msgid )
+{
+	vips_check_init();
 
 	return( dgettext( GETTEXT_PACKAGE, msgid ) );
 }
@@ -278,8 +287,7 @@ vips__gettext( const char *msgid )
 const char *
 vips__ngettext( const char *msgid, const char *plural, unsigned long int n )
 {
-	if( vips_init( "giant_banana" ) )
-		vips_error_clear();
+	vips_check_init();
 
 	return( dngettext( GETTEXT_PACKAGE, msgid, plural, n ) );
 }
diff --git a/libvips/iofuncs/pool.c b/libvips/iofuncs/pool.c
index 069dacda..1f422703 100644
--- a/libvips/iofuncs/pool.c
+++ b/libvips/iofuncs/pool.c
@@ -175,6 +175,8 @@ vips_pool_new( const char *name )
 {
 	VipsPool *pool;
 
+	vips_check_init();
+
 	pool = VIPS_POOL( g_object_new( VIPS_TYPE_POOL, NULL ) );
 
 	pool->name = name;