The downpour has been lovely and I don't think I've complained once.

Sure, it's inconvenient when your washing is still out or you just cleaned your car, but how long have we waited for rain like this.

The farmers, animals, environment and ourselves should soak it up while we can, because who knows when we'll turn dry again.

Speaking of animals, one mammal that soaks it up for its splendid flora growth is the kangaroo.

I remember when I was young dad would take my brother and I to a school oval at night to watch the kangaroos come out.

Some times there was close to 100 of them, all munching away and on the occasion you'd see a fox or two run past.

But since those days, since the drought came about, you don't see many anymore.

For old times sake and a love for animals, I've gone back there a few times at night, after a good heavy rain.

And you know what, now, you'd be lucky to see one.

It is sad, because an Aussie could see hundreds of 'skippies' in their life, but I doubt we could ever lose their significance to our country.

After all, other countries believe they're our number one pets.

And believe it or not, we once owned a baby joey; her name was Nugget.

She was just about fresh out the pouch, stood about a ruler length high and was a true-blue character.

She was just like a baby; fed from the bottle, had a nappy and was wrapped in blankets.

She would hop to the door if she wanted to go out, and our dog acted like its surrogate mother.

When she needed a nap she dove into her green enviro' bag, which hung from a door and rolled into a ball.

But, unfortunately a joey is hard work and after a few months we sadly gave her up to a kangaroo carer.

Which reminds me of locals Mary Nash and Fiona Pearse who have been helping animals for years.

I commend both ladies for their timeless effort and care for these animals that are sometimes just so helpless.

The drive they both have to keep the animals well is amazing and it's satisfying to know we have locals like these.