diff --git a/src/ghtml-webkit.c b/src/ghtml-webkit.c
index 4e91438..7ebfc78 100644
--- a/src/ghtml-webkit.c
+++ b/src/ghtml-webkit.c
@@ -25,7 +25,11 @@
 /* callbacks */
 static void _on_hovering_over_link(WebKitWebView * view, const gchar * title,
 		const gchar * url, gpointer data);
-static void _on_progress_changed(WebKitWebView * view, gint progress,
+static void _on_load_finished(WebKitWebView * view, WebKitWebFrame * frame,
+		gpointer data);
+static void _on_load_progress_changed(WebKitWebView * view, gint progress,
+		gpointer data);
+static void _on_load_started(WebKitWebView * view, WebKitWebFrame * frame,
 		gpointer data);
 static void _on_title_changed(WebKitWebView * view, WebKitWebFrame * frame,
 		const gchar * title, gpointer data);
@@ -42,16 +46,20 @@ GtkWidget * ghtml_new(Surfer * surfer)
 	/* widgets */
 	view = webkit_web_view_new();
 	widget = gtk_scrolled_window_new(NULL, NULL);
+	g_object_set_data(G_OBJECT(widget), "surfer", surfer);
+	g_object_set_data(G_OBJECT(widget), "view", view);
 	/* view */
 	g_signal_connect(G_OBJECT(view), "hovering-over-link", G_CALLBACK(
 				_on_hovering_over_link), widget);
+	g_signal_connect(G_OBJECT(view), "load-finished", G_CALLBACK(
+				_on_load_finished), widget);
 	g_signal_connect(G_OBJECT(view), "load-progress-changed", G_CALLBACK(
-				_on_progress_changed), widget);
+				_on_load_progress_changed), widget);
+	g_signal_connect(G_OBJECT(view), "load-started", G_CALLBACK(
+				_on_load_started), widget);
 	g_signal_connect(G_OBJECT(view), "title-changed", G_CALLBACK(
 				_on_title_changed), widget);
 	/* scrolled window */
-	g_object_set_data(G_OBJECT(widget), "surfer", surfer);
-	g_object_set_data(G_OBJECT(widget), "view", view);
 	gtk_scrolled_window_set_policy(GTK_SCROLLED_WINDOW(widget),
 			GTK_POLICY_AUTOMATIC, GTK_POLICY_AUTOMATIC);
 	gtk_container_add(GTK_CONTAINER(widget), view);
@@ -219,7 +227,18 @@ static void _on_hovering_over_link(WebKitWebView * view, const gchar * title,
 }
 
 
-static void _on_progress_changed(WebKitWebView * view, gint progress,
+static void _on_load_finished(WebKitWebView * view, WebKitWebFrame * arg1,
+			gpointer data)
+{
+	Surfer * surfer;
+
+	surfer = g_object_get_data(G_OBJECT(data), "surfer");
+	surfer_set_progress(surfer, -1.0);
+	surfer_set_status(surfer, NULL);
+}
+
+
+static void _on_load_progress_changed(WebKitWebView * view, gint progress,
 		gpointer data)
 {
 	Surfer * surfer;
@@ -230,6 +249,17 @@ static void _on_progress_changed(WebKitWebView * view, gint progress,
 }
 
 
+static void _on_load_started(WebKitWebView * view, WebKitWebFrame * frame,
+		gpointer data)
+{
+	Surfer * surfer;
+
+	surfer = g_object_get_data(G_OBJECT(data), "surfer");
+	surfer_set_progress(surfer, 0.0);
+	surfer_set_status(surfer, "Downloading...");
+}
+
+
 static void _on_title_changed(WebKitWebView * view, WebKitWebFrame * frame,
 		const gchar * title, gpointer data)
 {
diff --git a/src/surfer.c b/src/surfer.c
index d36d333..c54d401 100644
--- a/src/surfer.c
+++ b/src/surfer.c
@@ -120,6 +120,7 @@ unsigned int surfer_cnt = 0;
 #ifndef FOR_EMBEDDED
 static GtkWidget * _new_menubar(Surfer * surfer);
 #endif
+static gboolean _new_idle(gpointer data);
 
 Surfer * surfer_new(char const * url)
 {
@@ -212,8 +213,6 @@ Surfer * surfer_new(char const * url)
 		surfer_delete(surfer);
 		return NULL;
 	}
-	if(url != NULL)
-		ghtml_load_url(surfer->view, url);
 	gtk_box_pack_start(GTK_BOX(vbox), surfer->view, TRUE, TRUE, 0);
 	/* statusbar */
 	surfer->statusbox = gtk_hbox_new(FALSE, 0);
@@ -232,6 +231,13 @@ Surfer * surfer_new(char const * url)
 	gtk_box_pack_start(GTK_BOX(vbox), surfer->statusbox, FALSE, FALSE, 0);
 	surfer_set_status(surfer, NULL);
 	surfer_cnt++;
+	/* load url as soon as we're idle */
+	if(url != NULL)
+	{
+		g_object_set_data(G_OBJECT(surfer->window), "url",
+				g_strdup(url)); /* XXX a bit ugly */
+		g_idle_add(_new_idle, surfer);
+	}
 	return surfer;
 }
 
@@ -297,6 +303,17 @@ static GtkWidget * _new_menubar(Surfer * surfer)
 }
 #endif /* !FOR_EMBEDDED */
 
+static gboolean _new_idle(gpointer data)
+{
+	Surfer * surfer = data;
+	gchar * url;
+
+	url = g_object_get_data(G_OBJECT(surfer->window), "url");
+	ghtml_load_url(surfer->view, url);
+	g_free(url);
+	return FALSE;
+}
+
 
 /* surfer_delete */
 void surfer_delete(Surfer * surfer)