As anticipated, the cold that struck Michael before we got to Shimla has caught me. It hit me the night before we left Shimla and I spent the last afternoon there snuggled up in bed with a burning fever. Thankfully that passed by the time we reached Delhi, but I’ve had the sniffles and cough to contend with. I think the worst of that was yesterday as I don’t feel too bad now. I think it’s hit Michael worse than me (things do tend to hit harder when one is older!).

One of the things I said I would do when I came to India, was to have something tailored for myself. I know it’s not the cheapest holiday souvenir, but bespoke tailoring here is a lot cheaper than in the UK. I did my research before we arrived and handily there is a tailor in Khan Market, just a short walk from where we’re staying. I had made an appointment for 7pm yesterday, so that’s where we headed after we’d settled into the hotel.

When I say a short walk, it’s literally turn right out of our hotel, walk five minutes and you reach Khan Market. It’s a very strange mix of Knightsbridge/Notting Hill with a few cheap ‘tat’ shops and some small grocery stores. It’s the kind of place you could spend 100,000 rupees on a sari and also pick up some onions. There are a few familiar brands in the mix including a Body Shop, Pret A Manger and a Starbucks. The tailors I’d found is called Grover’s.

I’d been thinking about what I’d like to have made as we have travelled around India. I pondered a shirt, but as I’ve already purchased some of those this trip I thought maybe something a bit more structured. I settled on a blazer, a linen one in green. The staff were very attentive and showed me a few different green linens – but I knew straight away which one I liked. The man serving said the colour I’d chosen was very on trend at the moment. I replied, that’s me – on trend!

My measurements were taken and a little sketch was drawn up for the tailor to follow. It’ll be single breasted with a slim fit. I had to choose the lining fabric too, I chose a dark purple. They will make up the jacket ready for a final fit tomorrow night (Saturday), then it will be finished and delivered to my hotel late on Saturday. Just like that a bespoke tailored linen blazer in three days! It’s a good job I saved all that air in my bag!