Readers of Ian’s two previous memoirs, From Poverty To Poverty: A Scotsman Encounters Canada and Came To Canada, Eh? Adventures of a Scottish Nomad, will have become familiar with his musical talents as a Scottish entertainer and his penchant for moving (from Scotland to England to Wales to Egypt, back to Scotland and then, with a young wife and two children, on to Canada). There he moved back and forth over a period of almost four decades within multiple provinces, but often managed to wind up in Winnipeg where he was eventually widowed.

Ian soon met Gayle, also widowed, who had immigrated to Winnipeg from the USA after spending 18 years in Germany. By then Ian had retired from his machining career and had begun to write stories while continuing with his avocation of making music.

Shortly after meeting, writer Ian and writer/editor Gayle began to plan a life of producing books and making music together in what they hoped would be their own little corner of paradise. They initially loved living in Mexico and eventually bought a house in the world’s largest English-speaking expatriate community in the mountainous region of Central Mexico along the shores of Lake Chapala, started singing together as Scottish entertainers and joined a writers’ group.

But read along as their excitement and Follies-like experiences turn into Folly after Folly, including house break-ins/robberies, the murder of friends, partial wreckage of their motorhome and many other disappointments.

Ian and Gayle finally conclude that, after all, returning to Canada is the best way for them to fulfill their dreams. Were the Follies worth the many types of Folly they encountered? You decide.

Cover photo: Gayle and Ian Moore-Morrans with their terripoo Peppy in the gardens of the Lake Chapala Society, Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico, November 2006. The background surround is from a colourful Mexican blanket they bought in an open-air market in Ajijic, woven by Huichol indigenous artisans who still inhabit the area and maintain their ancient Uto-Aztecan language along with their bright bead and textile arts.

To order a copy of Mexican Follies, check out Amazon.ca (or US, UK, AU, or DE) or, if you are lucky enough to live in or near Winnipeg, contact Gayle Moore-Morrans at gayleian@gmail.com to arrange a purchase of the paperback version which was first published in October 2024. An Ebook version has been available on Amazon since November 12, 2024.

Below are images from the Book Launch for Mexican Follies that was held on the Amenities Floor of Gayle’s senior’s lifelease residence, Fred Douglas Place in downtown Winnipeg on November 9, 2024.

Thanks to novelist James Osborne for the five star review of Moomor Publishing’s latest book MEXICAN FOLLIES:
“5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging, Absorbing, Rewarding
Reviewed in Canada on October 28, 2024
This is a warm and engaging story with three compelling dimensions: it is a deeply sensitive love story, it is a delightfully entertaining tour-de-force of popular destinations in Mexico, and it is firmly rooted in the authors’ devout spirituality. A rewarding read for those with an affinity for one or more of those three dimensions.”