Another new toy - the Fujinon XC 50-230mm lens. Although the build quality is not in the same league as the XF lenses, the image quality is still very good! And the image stabiliser certainly works well - Photo 4 was taken at a 200mm focal length with a 1/14th second shutter speed - I make that a good 4 stops.

Photos four and five taken in the Serpentine Gallery within the park, and the last photo is taken on Chelsea Bridge.... all other photos taken somewhere within the massive 350 acre Royal Park.

Technical details: Fuji X-M1 with Fujinon 50-230mm lens.

A few photos taken on a stroll around Springwell Lake.

Technical details: Fuji X-M1 with Fujinon 60mm macro lens.

Kole Kole is part of the Baobab Beach Resort, lying on the white sands of Diani Beach, south of Mombasa. The friendly chaps in the first few photos were more than happy to pose while doing their antics in our hotel room!

Technical details: Sony a33 with Sigma 105mm, Minolta 70-210mm and Sony 35mm lenses.

Technical details: Sony a33 with Samyang 8mm fisheye lens.

The title says it all.

Technical details: Sony a850 with Sigma 105mm lens.

A gorgeous Spring day at Kew Gardens, London's royal botanical gardens, and what better place to test out a new macro lens - the Fujinon 60mm f2.4 macro. I found it to be stunning - the reviews of proclaiming edge-to-edge sharpness even wide open as well as tack sharp in the centre proved to be true - a pleasure of a lens to use. With the exception of when photographing insects, the slightly slow AF can be forgiven in light of the near-perfect optical performance.

Having a quick browse through the International Garden Photographer of the Year competition displays provided some inspiration to Neha and myself for the rest of the day! I'm hoping to return to Kew later this year in late Spring / early Summer to capture the changing flora and scenery.

Technical details: Technical details: Fuji X-M1 with Fujinon 60mm macro lens.

More spring beauty in the capital. The view atop the Primrose Hill, despite the slight haze, offered wonderful views over London - with many of the prominent sites clearly in sight. It is one of the most expensive residential areas in London, and this article from the FT explains:

"If you want to understand the appeal of London’s Primrose Hill, an expensive enclave just north of Regent’s Park, simply take a stroll through the area.

Among the matrix of pretty streets and squares, you will see desirable, four-storey Victorian terraced houses neatly painted in pastel colours; G-Wiz electric microcars parked next to Porsche Cayennes; lampposts carrying makeshift signs for local book clubs and spinning classes; and, in Regent’s Park Road, about 30 small shops, half of them cafés or restaurants, with not a chain store in sight.

Primrose Hill’s unique selling point is that it is a small settlement near the centre of a world city. It may be just five minutes’ walk from gritty Camden Town or a 10-minute drive from Selfridges but “village” is the word you hear from local residents and estate agents alike."

Technical details: Fuji X-M1 with Tamron 35-80mm MF lens.

Like last year (click here), here is another round-up of some of the most memorable images taken over the past year. Click the photos to navigate to the associated full blog post. Happy viewing!

Please take a few minutes to vote for your favourite photos - click here.

During our day stopover in Bangalore, we were fortunate to catch the floral extravaganza taking place in the beautiful botanical gardens of Bangalore. The nine-day annual horticultural show celebrates Independence Day and Republic Day every August.

Technical details: Sony a850 with Tamron 28-75mm lens.