gnome trash applet error

[Default User]

Hello! 

Has anyone else had this happen? 
On a rather generic Ubuntu 7.10 i386 desktop install, when a file is
placed in the  Gnome trash applet on the bottom panel, it will say "No
Items in Trash".  Also the trash icon does not change to look like
"papers in the wastebasket". And if you right-click the trash icon, the
"Empty Trash" icon is grayed out.

But if you open the trash applet, the Nautilus file browser shows the
file there in the trash folder.  Just drag it back out to the desktop,
and there it is as if never sent to the trash.  Or you can "Empty Trash"
or "Delete from Trash" from within Nautilus with no problem.  

If the trash applet is removed and then added back to the panel, the
problem is still there.  But logging out of and back into a Gnome
session after the applet remove/add action does solve the problem.
Note: this problem does not occur on another computer with a similar
installation.  

So, is this a bug, or is there some obscure setting that tells the trash
applet to "lie" at times about having files in it?  This has happened
more than once.