diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index 4d9e7bb2..95787836 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -1,11 +1,6 @@
 
 - python:
 
-	- try getting / setting / deleting metadata such as an ICC profile or
-	  an exif tag
-
-	- try vips benchmark in vips8 python, how much slower?
-
 	- could import like this:
 
 		from gi.repository import Vips 
diff --git a/libvips/iofuncs/error.c b/libvips/iofuncs/error.c
index ac3f4fc3..311187c1 100644
--- a/libvips/iofuncs/error.c
+++ b/libvips/iofuncs/error.c
@@ -1272,7 +1272,8 @@ vips_check_matrix( const char *domain, VipsImage *im, VipsImage **out )
 {
 	*out = NULL;
 
-	if( im->Xsize > 100000 || im->Ysize > 100000 ) {
+	if( im->Xsize > 100000 || 
+		im->Ysize > 100000 ) {
 		vips_error( domain, "%s", _( "matrix image too large" ) );
 		return( -1 );
 	}
diff --git a/python/try11.py b/python/try11.py
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..ce71829a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/try11.py
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+#!/usr/bin/python
+
+import sys
+
+#import logging
+#logging.basicConfig(level = logging.DEBUG)
+
+from gi.repository import Vips 
+
+from vips8 import vips
+
+a = Vips.Image.new_from_file(sys.argv[1])
+
+ipct = a.get("ipct-data")
+
+print "ipct = ", ipct.get()
+
+a.remove("ipct-data")
+
+a.write_to_file("x.jpg")
diff --git a/python/vips.py b/python/vips.py
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..90582d4f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/vips.py
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+#!/usr/bin/python
+
+import sys
+from vipsCC import *
+
+im = VImage.VImage (sys.argv[1])
+
+im = im.extract_area (100, 100, im.Xsize () - 200, im.Ysize () - 200)
+
+im = im.affinei_all ("bilinear", 0.9, 0, 0, 0.9, 0, 0)
+
+mask = VMask.VIMask (3, 3, 8, 0, 
+		  [-1, -1, -1, 
+		   -1,  16, -1, 
+		   -1, -1, -1])
+im = im.conv (mask)
+
+im.write (sys.argv[2])
diff --git a/python/vips8.py b/python/vips8.py
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..5913af15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/vips8.py
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#!/usr/bin/python
+
+import sys
+
+from gi.repository import Vips 
+from vips8 import vips
+
+im = Vips.Image.new_from_file(sys.argv[1])
+
+im = im.crop(100, 100, im.width - 200, im.height - 200)
+
+im = im.affine([0.9, 0, 0, 0.9])
+
+mask = Vips.Image.new_from_array([[-1, -1,  -1], 
+                                  [-1,  16, -1], 
+                                  [-1, -1,  -1]], scale = 8)
+im = im.conv(mask)
+
+im.write_to_file(sys.argv[2])
diff --git a/python/vips8/vips.py b/python/vips8/vips.py
index 86f04e60..945079c2 100644
--- a/python/vips8/vips.py
+++ b/python/vips8/vips.py
@@ -240,8 +240,9 @@ def vips_image_new_from_array(cls, array, scale = 1, offset = 0):
 
     image = cls.new_matrix_from_array(width, height, array)
 
-    image.set('scale', scale)
-    image.set('offset', offset)
+    # be careful to set them as double
+    image.set('scale', float(scale))
+    image.set('offset', float(offset))
 
     return image