This is my old leather boot. It's been sitting undisturbed for at least 5 years in the garden shed, that's how long I've been looking for it, now I've found it.

 

 

It looks like it's all there, there is no major wearing away of it. But, it has a white substance on it that powders easily when it's scraped off.

There isn't very much of it, it's light and floats away in the wind quite quickly. Any ideas what it might be?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mildew

Is the boot slowly being eaten?

Yes.

Gruesome isn't it?

In some thoughts, , what else is disappearing slowly?, in others, , that's really interesting!