It's a funny feeling, starting work in what could very well be the last year of the old Abbey Stadium at Blunsdon, Swindon.

Back in 1949 the combined vision of businessman Bert Hearse and Reg Witcomb, who had cut this teeth in speedway at Bristol, brought about the stadium that we now know. Speedway had been absent from the Swindon area since 1930 when the short lived track at Gorse Hill had closed its doors. The first meeting of the re launched Robins in their new stadium was on Saturday 23rd July in 1949, but that history is told so much better in Rob Bamford's "The definitive history of the Robins" (ISBN 0-7524-3552-3).

Yet here, as we fought off the effects of a chilling cold wind and I appreciated the hand warmer my wife had given me for Christmas, we suddenly realised that this was one of the tasks that we would never repeat at the old place.

With the weather cold but at least dry, this might be our last chance to finish digging out the sand and shale deposits that had built up against the safety fence during the course of the last two seasons.

At least with this material cleared away we would be able to get at the bottom of the air fence better and prevent an uneven run off of water from the dog track.

We had started work on this back breaking task before Christmas and had cleared the worst part, the area from the pits gate to half way round turn 4.

When Dave, my son, and I turned up at 9am this morning work was already underway. Gerald, Roy and Punch we already hard at it, breaking up the frozen sand and shale and then lifting it over the fence and onto the track - it will all be collected up in the JCB later on.

Two hours of really hard graft and we were back in the warmth and snugness of Number 96, Abbey Stadium, previously known as our staff room.

Gerald has plans to put some lino down and get the various speedway photographs that Rob Bamford has given to us up on the walls. I tell you - it's turning into a real "Des Res!"

Back out on to the track we work our way along turn three. Fortunately there is not so much build up of material here and progress is good. Bob Crowther and his dog, Billy, distract us for a time with a friendly chat. Bob's trying to get some new air pumps for the air fence. Our existing ones are worn out and knackered and there were times last season when we were patching them up as meetings were in progress.

Rosco arrives to wish us a happy new year and to talk up the team. The latest on Travis is that he's pretty beaten up and will take no further part in the Aussie Championships but is confident that he'll be OK for the start of the season.

By one o'clock we are desperate for another break in the warmth at No. 96. The temperature had dropped to below freezing and ice was forming on the tarpaulins by the greyhound track. Our spirits were raised enormously by a visit from Karen, our Sports Therapist, complete with a large bag of doughnuts - just the thing to build up our sugar levels in time for a last burst of digging to finish the day, and turns 3 and 4. Thanks Flo!!

The work party will have plenty to do on Saturday and Gerald is now certain that we will need to work every Thursday and Saturday right up until the middle of March and the start of the season. So if you fancy a morning's hard work and a barrel load of laughs, come along on Saturday, or a subsequent Saturday.

Time to go home and thaw out. This time I'm determined to get to the hot bath before Dave.

Oh, and the title of this piece. Those who have read other blogs will know that I sometimes fit in song lyrics and titles into the reports. I feel in a Whitesnake sort of way today, so "Here I go again ..."