Candles for long summer evenings.

Summer on the Highveld runs the other way to winter. The light lasts, the windows stay open, and the evening arrives slowly. A candle in summer is not there to warm the room. It is there to mark the end of a long, bright day and to hold a little of it as the sun goes down.

The forms we reach for now are the lighter ones. A scallop shell, a swirl sphere, a slim taper; pieces that sit well on an outdoor table or a windowsill and do not weigh a room down. They look as good unlit in the daylight as they do with a flame in the evening.

Scent works differently when the windows are open. We keep it fresh rather than heavy. Jasmine, Rose and Eucalyptus suit the warm months, light on the air and never close. Unscented is always right when the garden or the kitchen is already doing the work.

If you are settling into the longer days, the candles are poured for exactly these evenings, and the wider shop holds the cast plaster pieces that sit beside them. Light one a little later than you would in winter. That is the point of summer.