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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Nathan Bevan

This is how the Valleys gran whose lockdown antics went viral celebrated her 75th birthday

The OAP who gave us all a lockdown laugh with her self-isolating techniques has celebrated a landmark birthday indoors in her own hilarious style.

Social distancing -savvy Frances Hughes went viral when footage was posted on social media showing her paying for her newspaper by putting a pound coin on a shoe horn and shoving it through her letter box.

She was also seen yelling through the front door at visitors delivering groceries to "put the milk on top of the bin and step away" in her bid not to contract coronavirus.    

The clips, shot by her daughter Melanie Lewis,  ended up being liked and shared over 15,000 times, winning the former nurse fans as far flung as Hong Kong and Australia.

Frances with her corned beef tin birthday cake (Melanie Lewis/Facebook)

And now another video has emerged on Facebook detailing what happened when she turned 75 earlier this week.

The five minute film shows family arriving at the terrace house in Penydarren, Merthyr Tydfil   with balloons and presents, including chocolates, vodka and a birthday cake decorated with an edible corned beef tin - the one item Frances complained was missing the last time we saw her shopping being dropped off.

The cake very nearly didn't make it indoors though, with Frances almost dropping it on the path.

"S**t, it nearly went then," she laughed before pretending to be drunk and swig from the vodka she'd just been given. 

Her husband Bill, however, remained a man of few words, choosing once again only to wave and give the thumbs up through the window blinds.

Cheers! Frances pretends to knock back the birthday vodka (Melanie Lewis/Facebook)

"Your father got me a beautiful fountain," added Frances, talking about the garden ornament Bill had bought her.

"But we can't put it out because of this cowing weather."

Someone also got her a ceramic Buddha statue to place out the back when the weather clears up.

"There's my bloody Buddha in the window, look," she said, pointing at Bill.

"Do you rub his belly too?" asks Melanie, referring to the good luck tradition held by many travellers to shrines in the Far East. 

"Yes, and his head. And his arse," laughed Frances. 

This is what previously happened when Frances had visitors: 

Hilarious Welsh couple receive delivery whilst self-isolating

But how has isolation been for the couple?

"As Mam says in the video, she's had plenty of corned beef, plenty of coffee and plenty of visits from family - all following strict quarantine guidelines, of course," adds mother-of-two Melanie, who works at the nearby Prince Charles Hospital.

"I won't lie though, they have been struggling a bit with all this -  I don't know how they haven't killed each other by now. And, of course, it's a shame anyone has to spend their birthday under such circumstances.

"But, all in all, she had a wonderful day and loved reading the hundreds of messages she got online from everyone. She thinks she's the Queen of Sheba."

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