THAT burst of summer was confusing last week. And why was it described as an Indian summer? We are nowhere near India.

Actually, I’ve just Googled it and discover the expression was coined as long ago as the 1700s by early settlers on the East Coast of America.

So it refers to Red Indians rather than inhabitants of the sub-continent of India.

Of course, these days, they no longer use the phrase in America because it isn’t politically correct and it’s a bit daft to describe an autumnal period of hot weather in a news bulletin as a Native American Summer.

Anyway, I was glad when our Indian summer finished even though I got soaked in the process.

The clement weather had lulled me (and I’m easily lulled at my age) into a false sense of meteorological security.

The sun was shining so I took the dog for a walk.

We had reached the top end of the field when I noticed that the battle grey cloud formations I had admired to the north west were wiping out the blue skies like an invading army and were about to engulf the sun.

The heavens opened and an Arctic downpour followed.

Gotcha! said Mother Nature. It froze my brain and soaked my legs.

Me and the dog sloshed home, bedraggled and miserable.

It didn’t help that, as we reached the gate, the rain stopped and the sun came out again.

Double gotcha! said Mother Nature.

I towelled the dog dry and then checked my own condition.

My body was OK because I had been wearing a weatherproof top but my tracksuit trousers were saturated. And they were the only pair that fit which highlights the winter problem of my short legs.

Celebrities like Coleen Rooney look cool in a tracksuit. I look like Norman Wisdom.

From now until spring I prefer to wear tracksuit pants around the house, but where can I get some that fit a 28-and-a-half inch inside leg?

Ordinary trousers can be altered. But you can’t alter trackie bottoms and they only seem to come in waist sizes of small, medium or large.

If you want the shortest leg, you have to pick small, even if your waist size is medium plus.

I’ve tried bargain basement trackies, but they shrink.

Last winter I ordered two pairs in navy and black from Chums.

They sent lovat and grey and the waistbands fitted snugly ... beneath my armpits.

So winter looms and I am in need of leg warmers of a reasonable style and better fit. Any ideas?