diff --git a/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/components/genebuilder/cv/CVPanel.java b/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/components/genebuilder/cv/CVPanel.java
index 54f5599316e8366ea204408a8f3d08ef548e9fb0..0070ec0ba909b238271ec3910d65b25c2fb17667 100644
--- a/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/components/genebuilder/cv/CVPanel.java
+++ b/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/components/genebuilder/cv/CVPanel.java
@@ -131,8 +131,9 @@ public class CVPanel extends JPanel
     
     editableComponents = new Vector();
     
-    final Dimension dimension  = new Dimension(100, 30);
-    final Dimension dimension4 = new Dimension(dimension.width*4, 30);
+    final Dimension dimension  = new Dimension(100, 
+        (new JTextField()).getPreferredSize().height);
+    final Dimension dimension4 = new Dimension(dimension.width*4, dimension.height);
 
     Box cvBox = Box.createVerticalBox();
     
diff --git a/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/components/genebuilder/cv/DatePanel.java b/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/components/genebuilder/cv/DatePanel.java
index c0fb9264941003f80121c37b0176d996e5b5a35c..22d815c025e1e84b83b397703c75a2e7cadc58cf 100644
--- a/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/components/genebuilder/cv/DatePanel.java
+++ b/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/components/genebuilder/cv/DatePanel.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 
 package uk.ac.sanger.artemis.components.genebuilder.cv;
 
+import java.awt.Color;
 import java.awt.Dimension;
 import java.util.Calendar;
 import java.util.Date;
@@ -69,12 +70,14 @@ public class DatePanel
                                  latestDate,
                                  Calendar.YEAR);
       spinner = new JSpinner(model);
+      spinner.setBackground(Color.white);
       spinner.setEditor(new JSpinner.DateEditor(spinner, "yyyy/MM/dd"));
     }
     else
     {
       SpinnerListModel model = new SpinnerListModel( new String[] { "", "----/--/--", "" } );
       spinner = new JSpinner(model);
+      spinner.setBackground(Color.white);
       spinner.setValue("----/--/--");
       model.addChangeListener(new ChangeListener()
       {
diff --git a/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/components/genebuilder/cv/GoBox.java b/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/components/genebuilder/cv/GoBox.java
index 2d9bea4282c9f4f89113ad4bfb243c0ef53a7040..4008b5f23595820f490e62eff820653d8beadf55 100644
--- a/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/components/genebuilder/cv/GoBox.java
+++ b/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/components/genebuilder/cv/GoBox.java
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ class GoBox extends AbstractCvBox
     xBox.add(qualfTextField);
     
     dateField = new DatePanel( getField("date=", qualifierString), 
-                                        evidenceListDimension.height); 
+                                        dimension.height); 
     
     editable.add(dateField);
     xBox.add(dateField.getDateSpinner());