We were so lucky with the weather this weekend. After the violent storms we've had for days on end, all rain and wind and gloom, we've had two glorious days for our winery tour yesterday and our day at the beach house today. Shirtsleeve weather on the blustery Pacific coast in late December, with no mist and no fog. Incredible.

Last night after dinner people tended to drift off to bed kind of early. Or maybe it wasn't early. It's hard to judge time when I'm in an unfamiliar environment. At home I have no trouble keeping track of the hours and minutes, but on a day like yesterday it's like living on an alien planet, with different laws of physics. The darkness is a little darker, and the weariness you feel at the end of a long, satisfying day feels just a little heavier.

Eric and I shared the birdcage bedroom. It had two single beds and a half dozen birdcages decorating it. Something must have kept the usual out-of-element jitters away, because I didn't have the normal problems falling asleep in a strange bed. It was one of the most restful nights I've spent in a long time. That says a lot about the sleep problems I've been having for what seems like months.

I was up fairly early this morning (early for me, that is), but of course I was the last one out of bed, the last one showered and dressed. But people waited for me so I could walk around the streets of the seaside community with them. We walked down a path to the beach and strolled alongside the waves all the way around the cove, until rocks forced us back up the bank to the road.

It was hard walking for me, and to be perfectly honest a little more than a stroll, but I kept up the best I could. In fact, I was doing just fine until the last uphill stretch just before we made it back to the house. This was after an hour and a half of walking, so I think I can be forgiven for fading just a little. When I got inside I collapsed in a chair and got my strength and my breath back.

Some of our friends were staying one more night at the beach, and others were coming up for dinner, but I caught a ride back to town around midday. I'd left so many things undone, and this is going to be a short work week, so I felt the need to get as much work as possible accomplished today. I would have been uncomfortable trying to relax while this was topmost on my mind.

And I'm pleased to say I got back at it and made some good progress on what I need to finish before I can take off for Christmas. I might even be able to get away for some last-minute shopping, after what I got done today. I don't know if that'll be necessary, but it's reassuring to know it's possible.

I feel good about everything I was able to do all weekend, from spending the day and night with good people to gathering some momentum for the week ahead. It was a break from the usual routine, which is good, but it didn't disrupt the necessary part of the agenda, which is also good.

And when I got home, the first thing I did was look at the spot on the rug I'd had to clean early yesterday morning. I left in such a hurry that I couldn't be sure the dirt would come out, but it looks good! The amaryllis doesn't look so good, all bent and droopy, but the place where it soiled the carpet is as fresh as new.