BTM - the DCs' current school has an Outstanding 6th form, and won't take anyone, even if they are already in the school, unless they have xx points. I'm trying not to think about next year.
Strops - awful about the stealing. Sad, though. There is obviously an underlying reason.
You mentioned Barbara Woodhouse....funnily enough, she approached DM back in the day, wanting a couple of outfits (DM was a fashion designer). But she turned out to be so unpleasant and demanding that DM eventually told her she just couldn't work with her, and it would be better if she took her business elsewhere. I think that is one of only two occasions in DM's working life that this happened. DM's other "famous" customer was Terry Wogan's wife, who was lovely apparently. Terry used to sit outside the house in the car while she was having her fittings 
.
Herbs - I don't know how you do it - I think I'd just curl up in a ball if I had all that on my plate.
Actually, I'm a bit close to the edge myself - workwise I have just had two monster high-profile-short-leadtime projects dumped on my desk, which will consume all of next week and I haven't planned for. And I am approaching a complete melt-down about the new bathroom. The plasterer is AWOL, I forgot to order a skip, the wet-wall panels we chose are out of stock, the plumber is being so laid-back he's virtually horizontal and the flooring company have decided they can't now fit us in until after Christmas. Meanwhile the bathroom supplier is champing at the bit to deliver everything. I have had a tension headache for the last two days. Why didn't anyone tell me that this is the busiest time of year for tradesmen? Why didn't we wait until January? It all kicks off next Thursday (if I haven't had a stroke by then).
Oh, and the gas company, having titted about under the road outside the house for the last month, have chosen the current cold snap (i.e. tomorrow) to cut the gas off. 