There’s nothing like an 80th birthday, in this case Mom’s, to jolt a household – in this case the new apartment in Lisbon – into action. While the planning got under way sometime over the Christmas holiday and invites were dispatched back in March; it’s been a full scramble since the start of the week to fix all those niggly things that should have been done well before Portugal went on August break. 

At the start of this month I figured that Portugal would be back at work this past Monday. For millions this was certainly the case but not for the essential services that I’ve needed for the past days and hours. Thankfully, the lampshade maker came through with all the required shapes needed and the lovely people at Meelpress printers were able to get a pair of works by Vasco Futscher framed. But every other shop that I was hoping would be open on this Saturday morning (because they were open on Thursday, why wouldn’t they be open 48 hours later?) are now closed for a late-summer break. 

For a couple of hours this morning it didn’t look like there’d be hooks for hand towels, a rug at the entrance or even the right greenery for vases. But a few detours from my usual circuit introduced me to some new gems for daily essentials and items less urgent. Should you be in the market for gingham smocks (perfect for padding around in your atelier) or custom eucalyptus deck chairs with your choice of canvas covers – boy, do I have a shop for you. In the span of three minutes they fixed me up with a pair of cotton and wool rugs, non-slip under pads, stacks of hand towels, a smock (how could I resist?), a tunic for the housekeeper and some other bits and bobs. The total? Just €220 and all made in Portugal. It’s now four hours till the guests start to arrive (the money is on Aunt Suzanne and Uncle Ian being the first through the front door) and there’s much activity as I tap this out. Why didn’t I write this earlier in the week? I’m asking myself. Then again, it wouldn’t be right if I was that organised – particularly on Mom’s birthday weekend. 

At last count we’re going to be around 30 guests (a sizable Canadian contingent as you might imagine). We have a chef who’s doing a mix of Mozambican and Portuguese classics, the wines will be from Douro and Alentejo, and to get everyone in the mood our friend Pablo is doing a piña colada stand down on the street. Before all of that we have hair support arriving at around 17.30 (for Mom, not me) and there’s a lot of shelf styling to be done before I hit the shower. Thankfully Mats is in charge of catering and drinks operations and amazing Linda has joined us from Merano – rather than taking in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum she’s been riding shotgun with me in the Suzuki Jimny. Speaking of, we need to fire him up and do a run to Costa Nova for some more plates and a couple of cushions that are needed for a banquette and some armchairs. 

I will have a full report next week or, if you pop along to our Quality of Life Conference in Barcelona this coming week, Mom can tell you all about it first-hand. Given it’s Mom’s 80th, birthday week is now more like a birthday fortnight extravaganza with much more to come. The lady most definitely deserves it! The final errands are calling. Off I go.

Enjoying life in ‘The Faster Lane’? Click here to browse all of Tyler’s past columns. 

This story originally appeared in The Monocle Minute

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