Life began percolating somewhere hereabout 3.5 billion years ago, crawling out into a new oxygenated atmosphere three billion years after that.

And the presence of John Thiessen, who represents the state of the art on the intractable Baroque trumpet hereabout, was invaluable throughout.

But they, in turn, will be despoiled by some vagabond who has carved his initials on every "suspected" tree hereabout.