diff --git a/src/configure.ac b/src/configure.ac
index e584b380..0d147322 100644
--- a/src/configure.ac
+++ b/src/configure.ac
@@ -163,9 +163,10 @@ if test X$withFam != Xno ; then
    fi
 fi
 
-# Enable use of file extended attributes. 
-# Not by default as extended attributes are little used for now, and
-# looking for them is not completely trivial
+# Enable use of file extended attributes.  Not by default as extended
+# attributes are little used for now, and looking for them is not
+# completely trivial: we have to use ctime instead of mtime to detect
+# changes.
 AC_ARG_ENABLE(xattr,
     AC_HELP_STRING([--enable-xattr],
    [Enable fetching metadata from file extended attributes. This is only
diff --git a/src/rcldb/rcldb.cpp b/src/rcldb/rcldb.cpp
index c19999ea..cce8f2a8 100644
--- a/src/rcldb/rcldb.cpp
+++ b/src/rcldb/rcldb.cpp
@@ -500,11 +500,10 @@ bool Db::i_close(bool final)
 	    if (!m_ndb->m_noversionwrite)
 		m_ndb->xwdb.set_metadata(cstr_RCL_IDX_VERSION_KEY, cstr_RCL_IDX_VERSION);
 	    LOGDEB(("Rcl::Db:close: xapian will close. May take some time\n"));
-	}
 #ifdef IDX_THREADS
-	waitUpdIdle();
+	    waitUpdIdle();
 #endif
-	// Used to do a flush here. Cant see why it should be necessary.
+	}
 	deleteZ(m_ndb);
 	if (w)
 	    LOGDEB(("Rcl::Db:close() xapian close done.\n"));
@@ -1490,9 +1489,8 @@ bool Db::purge()
 bool Db::docExists(const string& uniterm)
 {
 #ifdef IDX_THREADS
-    // If we're not running our own (single) thread, need to protect
-    // read db against multiaccess (e.g. from needUpdate(), or this method).
-    PTMutexLocker lock(m_ndb->m_mutex, m_ndb->m_havewriteq);
+    // Need to protect read db against multiaccess. 
+    PTMutexLocker lock(m_ndb->m_mutex);
 #endif
 
     string ermsg;
@@ -1543,10 +1541,11 @@ bool Db::purgeFile(const string &udi, bool *existed)
 bool Db::purgeFileWrite(const string& udi, const string& uniterm)
 {
 #if defined(IDX_THREADS) 
-    // If we have a write queue we're called from there, and single
-    // threaded, no locking.  Else need to mutex other threads from
-    // above
-    PTMutexLocker lock(m_ndb->m_mutex, m_ndb->m_havewriteq);
+    // We need a mutex even if we have a write queue (so we can only
+    // be called by a single thread) to protect about multiple acces
+    // to xrdb from subDocs() which is also called from needupdate()
+    // (called from outside the write thread !
+    PTMutexLocker lock(m_ndb->m_mutex);
 #endif // IDX_THREADS
 
     Xapian::WritableDatabase db = m_ndb->xwdb;
diff --git a/src/rcldb/rcldb.h b/src/rcldb/rcldb.h
index 94f87d54..8cb39212 100644
--- a/src/rcldb/rcldb.h
+++ b/src/rcldb/rcldb.h
@@ -368,7 +368,6 @@ class Db {
 
     /* This has to be public for access by embedded Query::Native */
     Native *m_ndb; 
-    bool purgeFileWrite(const string& udi, const string& uniterm);
 private:
     const RclConfig *m_config;
     string     m_reason; // Error explanation
@@ -379,8 +378,6 @@ private:
     // File existence vector: this is filled during the indexing pass. Any
     // document whose bit is not set at the end is purged
     vector<bool> updated;
-    // Stop terms: those don't get indexed.
-    StopList m_stops;
     // Text bytes indexed since beginning
     long long    m_curtxtsz;
     // Text bytes at last flush
@@ -393,6 +390,8 @@ private:
     /***************
      * Parameters cached out of the configuration files. Logically const 
      * after init */
+    // Stop terms: those don't get indexed.
+    StopList m_stops;
     // This is how long an abstract we keep or build from beginning of
     // text when indexing. It only has an influence on the size of the
     // db as we are free to shorten it again when displaying
@@ -416,6 +415,11 @@ private:
     static bool o_inPlaceReset;
     /******* End logical constnesss */
 
+#ifdef IDX_THREADS
+    friend void *DbUpdWorker(void*);
+#endif // IDX_THREADS
+    bool purgeFileWrite(const string& udi, const string& uniterm);
+
     // Internal form of close, can be called during destruction
     bool i_close(bool final);
     // Reinitialize when adding/removing additional dbs