A lot of us use association as a memory tool -- we remember things by connecting them to other things. Thus something complex, which is related to a lot of other networks, may be easier to remember than a simple isolated thing, like "I need to buy butter" or "Maseru is the capital of Lesotho". Now if you have a friend who is moving to Lesotho and looking for housing in Maseru, you are much more likely to remember that Maseru is the capital of Lesotho -- there is a connection, an association. You think, Lucy just moved to Lesotho, the capital, Maseru. Just my theory after observing how my brain does and doesn't work!

Your getting old, Lady. I'm sure someone can answer this far better than me, but it won't stop me from trying. Some things are ingrained into our brains, even people with certain degenerative conditions remember them (such as basic command of the language and how to do certain tasks). These things, while originally learned, become such an integral part of everyday life that the brain moves them to a separate area. As an example, if you knock something over you say 'sorry' without actually thinking about what you are saying or why you are saying it. Other words and tasks are equally simple, but not used all the time, so asking for an orange requires us to remember what an orange is. This is quite often stored in long-term memory, but the connections to it will fade if it is not used. Often you will create more connections to a more complex thing because you are scared of forgetting it. Having learned which planets are where in our solar system many people create an acronym, and the two pieces of information serve to broaden the memory connection. A prime example of forgetting simple things is when I tried to remember the name of the brave LAbour MP who stood up for his beliefs and resigned (and later died while out walking) when Mr Blair took UK to war in Iraq. This despite him sharing the same name as an investigative journalist. I have now got his name back by creating other associations, but it is such a simple thing that I could not remember. There have been several shows on TV, and countless books that claim to have the 'secret' of improving your memory, but they all seem to have the same 'secret'. Creating connections between objects or tasks allows your brain to categorise them in several places, allowing you easier access to the information your brain holds. So I think of you as a flower doll, who's a bit of a tease, and likes bright colours. All that from your icon.