In Russia we say: you can't lose your master skills even if you're overdrunk;))
It means, if you're a master, any time in any conditions you are a master;)
I know what you mean;) after a break it's really sometimes hard to do what we're used to, but just a pair of steps and brains start to work in a proper way;)
a puzzle! yeah, that is what your poems remind me;)