@romalu
thanks for sharing your experiences. Due to our climate all my plants are indoors, so whilst i probably don't lose the temp in winter I certainly lose the light quite badly. I too have been watering my aloes and haworthia about once a month in the winter , but i have not watered the cacti since early oct.
I was worried my nervousness about rot was potentially stopping me getting more growth in the winter , but i guess growth without light is going to be problematic anyway.
thanks Rose and Baja for helping me clarify my thoughts a bit
Steve