Blowing out candles

Hers's a conundrum for you...

You have a round cake with 7 (trick) candles on it. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to blow out ALL the candles in as few "blows" as possible!!

Sound simple? Well there are a few rules that you have to abide by (isnt there always??)

1. You start off with all candles lit
2. You can only blow out 1 candle at a time.
3. When you blow on a candle, the 2 candles on either side also change status
- If they are all lit, they all go out
- if they are all out, they all light up
- those lit go out, those out get lit

Hmmm ... Blow out the center candle, then the left and right.

if they are all out, they all light up

doesn't that preclude the goal? ;-)

Here's a little model of it to play with!

Candles.xlsm

I have a different interpretation of the rules.

Best I can do is 9 puffs.

Really I am tired in clicking the candles continuously...

yes are they in a row or in a circle or 1 in the middle with six on the outside in a circle or what?
asuming they are in a circle,does blowing on an extinguished candle shange the status of the ones either side any way? so if three candles in a row where out and you blow on the middle one would all 3 relight?

Looks like there is another rule to this puzzle,

You can blow on unlit candle to re-light them. In which case 7 puffs.

Very clever, Andy.

Start with any candle and keep the increment constant (and also less than 7) and loop back.

7 puffs it is!

Well done Andy, nice lil brain-teaser - the cake is round, all candles on the outside, blowing an "out" candle lights it again

it doesn't matter about the order just blow each candle once only whether its alight or not