If you click the show original link in google reader it now opens the page right in reader panel. Seems to work quite well.

Are you sure you don't have a Greasemonkey script called Google Reader Preview?

yes your right! i'd only installed that this afternoon, and didn't realised it did that. thanks. :)

I think i'd like to see that feature in google reader though, so you can see teh whole post. would there be any issues around them doing that?

well I've actually got the extension 'Better GReader' installed. it's got a ncie osx skin i've just seen.