Thanks for your comments folks!
If there is a gap of a week or two between the date when my IR lapses, and when I renew it again, it should not matter...should it?
It's a question of time for me, -aircraft etc-. When I can find a decent senecca and an examiner in the same place at the same time, I shall renew the IR.
I have heard so much about this loosing your ATPL's thing that I began to get quite cynical and question my interpretation of the situation.
Thanks for the info.