8 Feb 2026 ~ IT’S WHAT SUNFLOWERS DO

I have been thinking about Sarah’s roses ever since my first visit to Stonehaven in November last year. My initial aim was to find some inspiration for a painting. I have been through the photos I took a thousand times. I just cannot find something inspiring. 

Today, on my way to Potchefstroom to drop off my daughter, I saw a bright yellow field of sunflowers. It immediately struck me, what is more symbolic of keeping your face to the sun than sunflowers? The only problem is, how do I connect Stonehaven to sunflowers? The roses have been on my mind for more than three months now. But actually it doesn’t really matter if it’s roses or sunflowers, because it’s not about the flowers, it’s about how we handle change and adversity. 

As I turn my focus to sunflowers, Helen Keller’s quote that I saw on the rock at Stonehaven, came up in a Google search again. I am extremely excited about what I discovered. The quote on the rock is incomplete. It should read:

“Keep your face to the sun and you will never see the shadows. IT’S WHAT SUNFLOWERS DO…”

Yes, I will paint some sunflowers instead of roses. It will be more vibrant and cheerful than the roses, and it will be a better reflection of the state of mind I would like to live my life in, a mind and heart that’s constantly facing the sun…