Another week and another musical reference; today's blog should be read while humming Lou Reed's "Perfect Day ... Just a perfect day."

Early signs were not too promising - the coldest day of the week, a chance of showers etc. But whilst it was indeed cold, the clouds soon disappeared and the sun shone down on the righteous - well, to be exact, it shone down on Gerald, Punch Roy and me.

In recent weeks we have been concentrating on digging out the areas around the safety fence and then ridding the track of as much of the loathsome sand as possible. All of that hard work came to fruition today.

The blade is an amazing tool for any speedway track curator but it can only be used when the conditions are right. The machine is so large, a veritable leviathan, that the track has to be quite firm before it can even venture out onto the hallowed shale. The blade is also not discriminatory - it cuts through and then spreads whatever material it picks up, so it is vital that any sand deposits, and lord knows there were enough of them, had to be removed to prevent the sand from being spread right throughout the track.

Well today, the track was firm and the sand was soon removed by a combination of Mr Ford on his JCB and Roy and me with our trusty shovels. Once the material had been removed Gerald started up the blade and started to cut down the back straight and into turns 2 and 1.

With the blade set at the right angle, Gerald started to cut the back straight to get rid of the dome that had appeared at the end of last season. Cutting and moving material from the white line up towards the fence panels and then depositing the excess across turns 1 and 2.

An hour later and the effect was quite startling - the camber from white line to fence panel was even throughout the length of the back straight and turns 1 and 2 looked ready for racing.

Buoyed up by the positive effects we decided to take on turns 3 and 4 and the infamous hump near the starting line on the main straight. Avoiding the water logged area close to the fence on the start straight, Gerald began to cut away at the hump and then bring the material up into turn 4.

It soon became apparent that we would need some extra shale on the track so Punch and Roy were dispatched to the nether regions of the pits car park to collect new material. We have a set of different shales available to us, each with their own specific qualities. Today we decided to spread the shale with the heavy clay content so that it would bind and form a hard base in the weeks leading up to the start of the season.

While Gerald ran round and round the track on the blade and Punch followed with a grader and then chain harrow, Roy and I contented ourselves removing the last vestiges of sand from around the pits gate.

And so we carried on, our work punctuated by a tea break and another visit from Karen, our Sports Therapist, and now maker of the most delicious cheese scones. Bob Crowther and his wife also popped in to say hello and allow Billy, the track staff mascot, a chance to race around the pits like a lunatic.

Back at work and the track soon came to us - there was no doubting that, avoiding the soggy patch on the outside of the main straight, we could have run a meeting there and then.

I have to say that I cannot remember the track looking this good, even during the season let alone this early in the year.

On Saturday, while Punch and Gerald carry on with top dressing the track, I will make a start on the air fence with anyone who cares to come along for an hour or three.

Of course, our thoughts are still with Alan Tarrant, Da Vinci Al, who has been struck down by illness this week and who, as I write this, is undergoing neurological tests in the local hospital. If you're reading this Al, everyone sends their best wishes. Good luck mate!