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I have had several similar circumstances throughout my life, most notable being the smells of my youth that seem to be haunting me. I have had several instances where I catch a whiff of wet watercolour paint cakes. The huge, circular ones that come either by themselves or inside large palettes, are often in kindergarten and elementary school classrooms and the like. I couldn't even describe the smell to you now (which is in itself curious - makes me wonder about "forgetting" and "remembering" smells) but I'd know it to smell it.

Whether it is all merely brought up from some associative memory, triggering the "smell" which doesn't actually exist, or if it is the memory which is bought up by the smell, which wafts my direction from an unknown source from time to time, I can't discern.

Another fascinating associative scent for me is that of cigars. I never minded the smell all that much, in fact I almost enjoyed the smell, until a time I was incredibly ill with Norwalk Virus and my significant other at the time decided to light a stogie in my kitchen. This immediately prompted me to run for the bathroom, and since that time I have been absolutely put off by the scent of cigar. Every time I catch even a whiff, or think I catch a whiff, it feels as though my stomach is cramping, and I get that familiar queasy feeling in my stomach. Fascinating.