The softened herfstkleuren - autumnal colours and gevallen bladeren - fallen leaves are a godsend for jaded reporters looking for a good lead-in to a story.

Now a few weeks into the football season, some clubs are already parting with their trainers. This allows the sports pages to start a story with Het is herfst, de bladeren vallen, de trainers ook - It is autumn, the leaves are falling, as are the trainers, which is almost a haiku. Strange how the dying summer makes us wax lyrical.

Then we have the continuing story of the country's non-formation of a coalition government. Here, too, autumn comes to the aid of the headline writers, who have been stretched to their limits by the non-happenings of recent weeks. When after a tiff, the two political leaders finally met for four hours, the headline ran De herfst verzoet even de zeden - The autumn sweetens manners for a moment.

The word herfst, which, with its sequence of four consonants is impossible to type, is connected to the English harvest (which has a helpful "e"). It's also an unusual word in that it doesn't appear to rhyme with anything, a bit like "cushion" in English.

September is de herfstmaand - the autumn month, though autumn astronomically only begins towards the end of the month. And if you were in de herfst geboren - born in autumn, - you are likely to live six months longer than those born in het voorjaar - the early part of the year. I can't see how they worked that one out.

If the season is getting you down, then you may need to freshen up your wardrobe. The herfstcollecties have long been in the shops. The colours of course are not exactly cheery: bruin, donkerrood, grijs en zwart ogen wel wat somber - brown, dark red, grey and black look rather sombre. But then we have de accentkleuren: felrood, oranje en paars - the accent colours: bright red, orange and purple to brighten up the darkness. And this autumn you will have noticed gebreide stoffen - knitted material is back, which brings on thoughts of frozen winter.

If retail therapy doesn't kill the blues, then be philosophical and dream on: Laat de herfst maar komen, Ik blijf van het voorjaar dromen - Let the autumn come, I will just dream of the spring.