I don’t often blog about anything other than books these days. I’m not sure why. It’s not that I don’t do anything; I must do something, surely. Perhaps I’m just not convinced that anyone else is terribly interested in reading about my Monday rehearsals with Saints’ Singers choir or my ponderings over whether buying M&S salads is a luxury I shouldn’t succumb to when I can buy lettuce, mozzarella, tomato and balsamic and make a salad for a fraction of the cost. But then, why not live a little eh?

However, just occasionally, my zest for sharing returns and I’m back to boasting like a Facebook mum with designer children and designer lives. So here goes: a blog post all about my trip to Leeds to see Jenny Éclair with my good friend Rebecca. Because wow, it was a fantastic day.

I met Rebecca when she joined our Red Lion Book Club in Broughton, something I set up when I came back to live in the UK and was feeling lonely. It turned out she’d been a friend of my mum’s and volunteered with her at the library. Back then, Becks had two little boys, and I’m fairly sure my mum mentioned them “helping” her by pushing carefully faced-up books back onto the shelves on more than one occasion. Sadly, I no longer have my lovely mum, but it brings me real comfort to know she was fond of someone who has since become such a great friend to me.

Rebecca is always persuading me to sign up for villagey things. It was flower arranging in a  pumpkin just last week. She, and all my friends in Bangkok, know how much I love Jenny Éclair, so when she said “Let’s go” I jumped at the chance. I was especially glad that she was driving.

So what made the day so special? We laughed a lot and shared a lot. Family, flaws, vulnerabilities. Female friendship is such a powerful thing. As an avid listener of the Older and Wider podcast with more than 330 episodes, I knew that many in the audience would be “Owls”, followers of the podcast and probably like-minded women. The power of female friendship and comradeship is something I’ve written about quite a bit recently in my choir posts, but I digress.

After a lovely little shop around John Lewis (Rebecca is far more generous than me when it comes to Christmas decorations) and a delicious starter at The Ivy, it was time to head to the City Varieties Music Hall in Leeds and be entertained by Jenny.

Skip Straight here to here about the show: “Jenny Éclair: Jokes, Jokes, Jokes Live”

The City Varieties Music Hall had just the right number of people. It was welcoming and friendly but not in any sense corporate or impersonal. I could almost imagine high kicks and chorus girls on that stage, but that wasn’t what we had with Jenny.

Out came Jenny, wearing orange trainers, black baggy, kind of camping, trousers (I’m sure she’d object to that description) and a stunning matching blouse. Her presence was immediate and magnetic, but she was teeny. Also, what I didn’t expect was how much she fidgets. Hopping from leg to leg, she reminded me a little of Victoria Wood with that same lively energy.

Jenny’s show, Jenny Éclair: Jokes, Jokes, Jokes Live!, was basically her life story, which I guess doesn’t sound like a laugh a minute, but it really was. It was accompanied by a PowerPoint of family photos, beautiful ones though put together in a charmingly Year 8 project kind of way, and we got the best of her life: the highs and the warts and all. She spoke about her love for her daughter Phoebe, but admitted she couldn’t care for her when she was young as well as she might have. Then we met the glamorous redheaded nanny who stepped in (whom I might have been a little hesitant to leave my husband with). Her love for her parents shone through, and she didn’t shy away from difficult topics like anorexia and dementia. It was all served in a dish of

Having been such a fangirl for so long, I felt I already knew so much about these parts of her life. She also highlighted some of her books, one or two of which I’ve reviewed — including my post on Moving by Jenny Éclair – A Great Summer Read. Jenny calls herself a self-diagnosed show-off, and I love that, but I don’t think she talks enough about her brilliance as an author. Her novels are moving, funny, and utterly relatable.

The laughs came from her honesty, her rapport with the audience, her choice of everyday topics, and her complete frankness. At one point her nose ran, she asked for a hanky, and suddenly dozens of tissue packets were flung onto the stage. It was like Tom Jones getting knickers thrown at him. Jenny Éclair has a major potty mouth, but I loved it. I rarely laugh out loud, maybe a wry British half-smile if something’s really good, but I was belly laughing with the rest of them.

And then the pièce de résistance. Afterwards, Rebecca, knowing what a fangirl I am, said “Let’s go round to the stage door.” I didn’t want to. I’ve listened to the podcasts; I know Jenny doesn’t suffer fools gladly. She’d want to get back to her hotel. But Rebecca was a woman on a mission. She chatted to the tour manager, who was as delightful as I’d imagined, and eventually Jenny, having had wine with friends, came out. I was embarrassed, not wanting to be a nuisance. But Rebecca sparked up a chat and oh my God Jenny was joyful, friendly, warm and happy to sign autographs. I practically fell in love on the spot!!

The drive home was spent with Rebecca teasing me for my shyness while I floated on a high from meeting my new bestie Jen (sorry Rebecca, you’re out). We laughed all the way home as we dissected the evening, every story and every belly laugh. It was one of those nights that fills you right up, with joy, friendship and a touch of fangirl magic.

So that’s the message I’m sharing here. Make the effort. Say yes to things. Nurture your friendships. Be a fangirl if it makes you happy. Go and meet your idols, because sometimes they’re every bit as lovely as you hoped they would be.

And Jenny, if you ever happen to read this, please write more novels. I’m mostly into books these days, and I would love to read more of yours.