Of all the things to buy in India!!! Union flag shorts! The only thing missing is a belly button piercing to go with my tattoo, and I will have made a complete U-turn and reverted back to teenage hood! ‘And some Doc Martens boots,’ adds Indian Man In The Know knowingly. Too hot for India, or my impending holiday, but certainly something to keep in mind for the UK!
I have had to spruce up my Indian wardrobe!! My holiday is approaching and I need to stock up on suitable clothes as there will be no need for churidars where I am heading. Nepal, a country on the backpackers route, will have seen it all and most sins can be covered up with a t-shirt and baggy trousers or shorts. And you may be fooled in thinking that this little sojourn northwards was unplanned, but no, wheels were set in motion before my departure to India in May. I bought some nicely fitting walking trousers with elasticated waistband to allow for shrinking and expansion issues and I invested in a brand new pair of shorts to accommodate my smaller, new size!!!
A hurried visit to a large M&S store near my daughter’s just before my travels came up trumps! Summer was still approaching in the UK, so plenty of choice in the shorts department. Although I squeezed into a size 8, I felt that I preferred the comfort of a slightly more roomy size 10… I was fully aware that my few months in England had resulted in putting on some weight, but I studied my bone structure and thought that at least my hips would not change in size, so size 10 it was… And then I put them on last weekend and needed to find some safety pins to cope with the excess space… Indian food clearly works in a magical way on my metabolism.
So yesterday, I ventured into Trivandrum, where I had spotted shorts on display not that long ago. Keeping fingers crossed that the summer season here was still in full swing, I did not anticipate too many difficulties. But even here, summer seems to come to an abrupt halt when the months of September and October approach and choice there was none!!! At least not in my tiny size… Indian sizes, there was variety aplenty, but when looking at size 30 (American sizes…) and less, the racks looked unpromising… until I found the Union Jack!!! Not quite my usual style, I would admit, but quite pleasing nonetheless and the shorts FIT!
So I shall be wearing them at all possible occasions: I am British and Proud of it! And just to let you know, I declined to join in with India’s Independence celebrations last weekend – after all it was us they threw out…
Lieve Round The World 