Anna Jones Buttimore

One of the interesting effects of the covid-19 pandemic has been the increase in religious behaviour. Research by Tearfund and Savanta ConRes  suggests 44% of UK adults now say they pray regularly, and 24% have "attended" an online church service since the start of lockdown. Churches were quick to respond to the pandemic, moving services online via YouTube, Facebook Live and Zoom, and this has made it easier for the "church-curious" to get involved. After all, it's much less daunting to watch a YouTube livestream on your phone in your own living room than it is to walk through heavy double doors into an imposing building full of over-friendly strangers. I'm ahead of the curve because I've been attending church services on a regular basis for around the last 30 years. But you know, church is for life, not just for a crisis, and I fully endorse and recommend the church-going lifestyle, whatever your beliefs. Here's what it has done for me: It's giv...

*** Long post alert *** How I got published In 1998 I wrote a terrible book. It was called "The Temple of Truth" or something similarly trite. My lifelong ambition was to be a published author, and having recently joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I had discovered that there was a thriving market for clean LDS-based literature. I thought that writing for this market would be an easy way to get my first book accepted by a publisher, after which a mainstream publisher would surely snap up my second manuscript given that I was already a published author. For the record, I was wrong on both counts. My terrible book landed on the desk of Covenant editor Valerie Holladay. She read it and wrote to tell me that my book was terrible, but that she thought my writing style showed promise and noted that I lived in Wales. Many Utah residents had ancestors from Wales, she told me, and would love to learn more about it. Would I consider writing a book set there?...

My new book is out next month - yay! It's been a couple of years since my last book was published and so this one is rather overdue. Also I'm really happy with it. I think it's one of my best and people might enjoy it. I hope so, anyway. It's a Regency romance called "Her Ladyship's Secret" and here's the all-important blurb: Thundersley, Suffolk, 1813: When Mr. Wilson, a travelling minister, arrives in the rural parish of Thundersley, Catherine Waters is intrigued by the man himself and by his connection to her reclusive and mysterious neighbour, Lady Forrester. Through Mr. Wilson, Catherine is drawn into the world of Thundersley Hall, where her cousin finds forbidden love. After Mr. Wilson leaves Suffolk to continue his work elsewhere, the dashing village doctor, Mr. Davenport, is on hand to offer Catherine love, security, and help in uncovering the secrets that threaten to destroy all she holds dear. In the end it is Lady Forrester’s most clo...

In August 2018 I had the great privilege of teaching at FSY (For the Strength of Youth), the LDS Church's youth convention. I taught two classes, one of which included my conversion story. In this same lesson I asked a question (I can't remember what) and one girl responded immediately and boldly, "Well, I know the Church* is perfect". There was an instant frisson and hum as the other students responded to the controversial statement. Like the experienced teacher I'm not, I resisted the urge to take up this subject, and cut off the chatter by clarifying, "The gospel  is perfect. The Church and the gospel are not the same thing." I often think of that girl, and wonder how she felt about my clarification. The words Church  and gospel  can often seem to be used interchangeably in Mormon circles, and if she truly does believe that the Church is perfect, then that poor girl has a rough road ahead, because it demonstrably isn't. Every time it is late...

While I don't hold myself out to be any sort of expert in gift buying (I once bought my sister a packet of Pez for Christmas) I thought it might be helpful at this time of year to share a few ideas of gifts which have been well received. Studio do a personalised bathrobe, for men, women and children , at just £7.99. It's not terrible quality for the price too. Last year almost everyone in our family ended up with one, and mine is still going strong. Got a chocoholic friend  who's always on a diet? My "joke" gift this year is a  hamper of chocolate-not-chocolate . It includes chocolate scented shower gel, lip balm, moisturiser, and a face mask, plus a small jigsaw puzzle of chocolate, a chocolate scented candle, and anything else I find between now and Christmas that's chocolate but not edible. (And because I'm not that cruel, the follow-up gift will be her favourite actual chocolate.) If you've a whole family to buy for take out the hassle of fig...

I'm at Center Parcs in Elveden Forest as I write this, celebrating my daughter's 18th birthday. It's lovely - beautiful, peaceful, full of wildlife (I've seen a stoat, muntjac deer, a heron, rabbit, squirrels, moorhens, ducks, a jay, and various other birds) and comfortable and relaxing. In this post I'm using my blog as a reminder to myself for next time, but also as a public service to anyone else heading to Center Parcs. Essentially it's a list of things they don't tell you to bring, but which you really need to bring. They supply the smallest quantities of the basic essentials, but not enough because they want to you to stock up at the extremely expensive ParcMarket. Washing-up liquid. They give you ONE small sachet. They also give you three dishwasher tablets, but since our lodge only has six place settings' worth of crockery and cutlery we didn't use the dishwasher as we needed the plates. A tea towel or two. They supply one, but that g...

I became a vegetarian on 23rd May 2018, a spur-of-the-moment decision prompted by a lobster . It's been interesting, and I have to say that I don't miss meat, and I wouldn't ever go back to eating it. There are many things I thought I'd miss, but don't - McDonald's burgers, roast dinners, bacon. Having said that, there are a couple of things I'm a little wistful about: Anchovies. I loved anchovies on my pizza or stuffed into olives Chinese food. Almost nothing available in a Chinese restaurant or takeaway is vegetarian. Prawn crackers have prawns in them (who knew?) and even seaweed has powdered fish sprinkled over the top. I really miss sweet and sour chicken balls, chicken with chilli and salt, and crispy shredded beef. I wish they would do these recipes with beancurd (which is, after all, a Chinese staple) so that I could enjoy them again, but I've yet to find a restaurant locally which does. (One of them explained why: apparently fresh beancur...