[exim] SQL problems quoting -- second ' eaten up

I am try to insert header information into a postgresql 8.1 database
from exim 4.62 (Debian testing).

I'm presently testing a server using local, non-smtp mail from mutt.

The field I am trying to fill is t_date, using '${quote_pgsql:${h_date}}'.
I assume that $h_date is empty because I am doing local delivery.

Using '$h_date' doesn't work either, and the same problem affects
$h_subject.

 INSERT INTO testing 
    (t_message_id, t_path, t_date, t_subject,
     t_recipients, t_from, t_to, t_cc, n_message_size) 
 VALUES
    ----------------------------------------------------v
    ('1FvMyx-0007fZ-9D', '2006-06-28/1FvMyx-0007fZ-9D', ' 'subject', 
    'x@???', 'a', 'a', 'a', 200))

What is odd is that the second ' is being eaten up.

This also affects log messages:
     warn log_message = ('$message_id', \
                         'MSPATH',  \
                         '$h_date',  \
                         '$h_subject',  \
                         '$recipients',  \
                         '$h_from',  \
                         '$h_to',  \
                         '$h_cc',  \
                         '$message_size')

Which led to the following log line:
Warning: ('1FvNYX-0007mk-Ig', '2006-06-28/1FvNYX-0007mk-Ig', ' ' 'x@???', ' ' ' '38')

what is happening to the second ' for the empty variables?

Thanks for any help;
Rory

--
Rory Campbell-Lange
<rory@???>
<www.campbell-lange.net>