Direct talks between Serbia and Kosovo began on Monday (24th). It all began with a rather cold note as Serbia's President Tadic and Kosovo's President Sejdiu not shaking hands. Gosh, even Israel & Palestine shook hands in Washington D.C. but oh-no, not the Serbs and Albanians. It shows just how difficult it will be to find a solution that is acceptable to everyone. Still unwilling to compromise, Serbia is saying no to full-independence and Albanians are saying that independence is the only option they will consider. There is no timetable yet for the negotiations, but one can be expected after high-level talks in the UN in late September. Meanwhile, demonstrators from the "Self-Determination" group protested outside the Government Building still calling for a referendum and an end to all negotiations with Serbia.
Last night was one of those special nights with large summertime thunderstorms. Man, I just love sitting outside on my balcony with the metal railings, sitting in my metal legged chair, and putting my feet in a warm bucket of water *hehe* Seriously, there is nothing more awesome than a summertime thunderstorm as it rolls up on Gracanica from the south over the fields. The good thing about the summer storms is that they have a tendency to dump a bit of rain and that means I get more water the next day :) The bad thing is that often the power goes out during the storm...I suspect that lightening rods are needed somewhere because it usually happens after a nearby strike.
