Blades are sharp and the 'army' is ready for battle

Image: Grass is honoured at Beki Cook's Cake Blog by these fabulous cupcakes.

THE blades are sharp and the sweet smell of fresh gear oil cuts through the fresh spring air. An army of hard workers are set to sweat. Yes – well, maybe – the drought is breaking after the 'scattered rainfall' this week, and the short-term out look for more showers and storms. But just as certain as another beautiful sunrise tomorrow over our fabulous Moreton Bay: the grass will grow. The lawns of Redland City are already showing a new tinge of green – and the many mowing services that rely on our Classifieds and Trade Services pages to spread their messages are itching for the action.

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MOWING must be one of the most competitive fields of endeavour in the marvellous community of classified advertising, with big and small firms all seeking clients. They can 'weather' the slow seasons with the knowledge there will always be a harvest – at some stage. The 2013-14 Queensland wet season will help many bayside families make ends meet. A new name has appeared in these pages in the past few weeks in the countdown to the mowing season. RJ's Reliable Mowing is the venture by a former energy company worker who decided that after 22 years in an office job it was time to "get outdoors and enjoy the weather".

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THE proud proprietor of the new enterprise is Rob, who grew up in the Redlands and now lives at Lota. He chose the business name carefully because he heard many complaints from householders. "Lawn mowing guys often don't turn up for the job and leave the customer in the lurch," he said. "I just want to do the right thing by the customers and be reliable. If the other guys don't want the work I'll gladly do it." After just five weeks of trading, Rob is looking for lawns in the bayside districts between Wynnum and Redland Bay.

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A BROWSE through the Gardening Services & Supplies column can show the importance of the business name or a catchy headline in a competitive environment. Readers will usually see that despite their many hours of sweat in the sun the mowing brigade seem to keep their sense of humour, as their expressions can be catchy and entertaining. The outlook from the weather bureau for south-east Queenaland coastal districts is scattered showers and storms until at least Sunday. For those who don't like the heat, the temperature forecasts are fairly mild, with maximums in the 20s but about 30 today.