Elizabeth Thomas, 63, of Cwmcarn, recently retired as an auxiliary nurse at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff but has now turned her hand to writing books. She talks to CIARAN KELLY.

AROUND 20 years ago, I started writing poems for fun and I just kept going. My kids read them and told me to keep copies. They’re keepsakes about my children and grandchildren. I also used to write poems for people at work, particularly on their birthdays or if they were leaving. It was never a serious thing.

I absolutely love writing and there’s not enough time in the day for it. It’s such a therapeutic process. People said that I would find retirement boring but I’m always thinking about writing and more murders for my thriller books. A word will come into my head watching the news and it will spark it all off.

I have two boys, Matthew, 43, and Christian, 40. Matthew works in construction and is married to Beryl. Christian works in a steelworks and is married to Michelle. They’re all happy and Matthew and Christian are good fathers. Christian helps me with the computer and he taught me to touch type, which is obviously very important when you’re writing.

I’ve got seven grandchildren: Chloe, 18, Nikita, 17, Jordan, 16, Megan, 18, Bethan, 17, Erin, 9, and Lucy, 8. They all have wonderful personalities. My grandchildren are brilliant with technology and not everyone is as lucky as they are.

My husband, Derek, 63, is manager of Abergavenny Tyres and Services. He’s my rock and when I get upset, he’s always there for me. He’s my life and he would do everything for anyone. In 2006, I had a bad accident on holiday and he saved my life. We were scuba diving in the Bahamas and I ran out of air. I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for Derek.

We met at Cwmcarn Comprehensive School when we were 15 and three years later, we were married. When I first saw him, I just thought, ‘Wow, he’s gorgeous’. We didn’t go out that much, as he lived in Newbridge and I was in Cross Keys, but we walked and talked a lot. Every day, we saw each other. Derek is five months younger than me so he always said he was my toy boy!

We had our own little church wedding in 1969. It was a sunny day and, unlike a lot of weddings today, we didn’t have to organise every little detail. We had a small reception of around 20 people and we had our honeymoon in Porthcawl.

We love going on holiday together and have been all around the world. We’ve seen lots of the Caribbean together and Jamaica is my favourite destination. Even when the boys were little, we always made an effort to go on holiday. It was camping in the early years, but we also went off to the South of France, Benidorm, and Tenerife.

I’ve always said, once I met Derek, my life truly began. It might sound corny, but it’s true. In the beginning, before I met him, life was hard. I was three when I went into care and was with my foster mother until the age of 16. Social services visited me just once every six months. It was always a different social worker and they were never around for long enough to gain my trust.

When you’re in that position, you need someone to have a connection with. We never had ‘family’ holidays.

My older brother, Tommy, and my younger sister, Patricia, were also put into care after my mother died from kidney failure after giving birth to my sister. My mother was constantly ill and I was 11 when it happened. My father worked a lot and back then, men were not as involved in family life. He would come to see us at Newport Civic Centre every Christmas and it was always a bit nervy. We kept in touch and he remarried. He passed away around 40 years ago.

My childhood was a bit rough, but I have a wonderful life now. My children never knew how good they had it but, eight years ago, I wrote some poems about it to help them understand.

When I meet my siblings now, it’s always a happy occasion. Patricia lives in Cwmbran and Tommy lives in Newport and they both have families. We meet at weddings and special occasions. Tommy often pops in up a cup of coffee when he’s in the area.

I worked in a factory in Abercarn for 24 years and made a lot of friends there. Around 15 years ago, they were offering early redundancies and I felt I wanted to do something else in the community that was more worthwhile. My daughter-in-law, Michelle, is a nurse and, one day, she came home with an auxiliary nurse form for the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. I didn’t think I could do it, but Michelle told me that I would be great. A few weeks later, I did an interview and got the job.

I worked in the department of Trauma and Orthopaedics. It’s all about personal care and you do all you can for patients. I made lots of new friends there and I still talk to them all the time. We had a fabulous manager, Rob, who really looked after us. The work was very heavy and you are on your feet all day. You bring patients to and from theatre. It was mainly elderly people that we worked with and because they were not strong enough to go home, they were often with us for six months or longer.

Initially, I thought retirement was a mistake but I now have cherished time with my grandchildren that I’d never have otherwise. There really is not enough time in the day for them.