Stephanie Hirschmiller on the garden furniture you can leave outside in any season and in any weather

View from the Sofa: IPC World Championships More4

We took on nature in its purest form and gave our souls a thorough cleansing

This week I've been eating... posh picnics

A lovingly hand-crafted jumper from a well-meaning granny used to be a gift received with a grimace. But as the trend for novelty knitwear and customised clobber continues to prevail, the popularity of hand-knits is on the rise. Those of us not lucky enough to know a nana that knits no longer need to feel unloved, however. Grannies Inc is a company that sells made-to-order knits by a collective of talented grandmothers across the UK.

Passion, pride and the baleful sea seep into a shoreline production of Britten's great opera

In a week of life lessons, I have learnt that you should always wear suncream and you should go to the theatre more. And you should do things on your own. And you can do both of these things on your own very easily, should you fancy it.

We saw that it was summer and so we hired a car and drove to Sussex to watch a cricket match and eat a picnic. There were four of us. Me and CDG and two hags that CDG associates with. By 'hags' I only mean that these two young ladies both own cats, or look like they do, and they regularly cackle at me for no reason. They can't cast spells and probably aren't old enough to be proper hags but I call them it anyway and I believe that they enjoy it. Well, they came too. Me and CDG picked them up on the A205.

Whether it's Glyndebourne, Wimbledon or just your local park, you ought to have your picnics in style. Pink fizz not included.

Whether they're for everyday use or to make your dining table look just right, it's worth getting a stylish shaker...

Dre hits the speakers market

Learn about life in the Swiss mountains with the new BaseCamp package at Nira Alpina (00 41 081 838 6969; niraalpina.com). Keep all the family amused on a summer break at this designer hotel in St Moritz, in the Engadine Valley, with workshops for children on edible mountain plants, how to milk cows and make cheese, and active pursuits including kite-surfing, climbing and sailing. From Sfr875 (£606)pp for five nights' B&B, picnic two guided hiking tours, plus other trips and treats. Children aged under 12 can stay free of charge in their parents' room. International travel costs extra. Departures are between 15 June and 13 October.

Tracy Beaker author Jacqueline Wilson has criticised the language skills of British schoolchildren – revealing that her young overseas fans write more eloquent English than UK kids.

Temperatures could reach 20C in the south as flood warnings are issued in western Scotland