how to schedule over a range of dates?

[Mandar Mitra <mandar.mitra@gmail.com>]

I understand that "SCHEDULED" is intended to only specify a start date,
but I'd like to be able to use a range of dates with SCHEDULED, and get
consistent behaviour in the Agenda view. This helps when I'm looking at
the Agenda view and trying to find free days to schedule other stuff.

Currently (version 7.8.09), if I have something like

    SCHEDULED: <2012-04-21 Sat>--<2012-04-24 Tue>

then the agenda view gives me 2 lines of the form:

  TODO:       Sched. 2x:  [#0] <some work>
  TODO:       (2/4):  [#0] <same work as above>

I have org-agenda-skip-additional-timestamps-same-entry set to t, but
perhaps I've misunderstood the intention of this variable?

If I leave just the timestamp (no SCHEDULED), then the behaviour is
almost like what I want, with two exceptions:

1. Once the end date is past, the item disappears from the agenda
   irrespective of whether I've marked it DONE.
   (I have org-agenda-skip-timestamp-if-done set to nil.)
   This does not happen for a SCHEDULED item (which I have to explicitly
   mark DONE).

2. (minor) The corresponding line in the agenda view does not have any
   face associated with it, so I can't customise its appearance.

Is there an easy way of achieving something like the following in the
agenda view?

Sunday     22 April 2012
  TODO:       Sched. 2x (or 2/4): [#0] <some work>
Monday     23 April 2012 W17
  TODO:       Sched. 3x (or 3/4):  [#0] <same work as above>

And later, if I've left the work not done, 

On some future date
  TODO:        Sched. Nx (or N/4, or similar):  [#0] <same work as above>


Haven't found an answer in TFM. Grateful for any pointers.

Thanks,
Mandar.